SAS Week 26: leadership for SAS doctors
SAS in leadership
SAS doctors play a vital role not only in delivering patient care but also in leading teams, driving innovation and shaping the future of NHS services. Today, we're highlighting the importance of supporting SAS doctors into leadership roles and sharing resources to help employers create the development opportunities and pathways they need to thrive.
How to create leadership pathways for SAS doctors
New resource
This guidance helps employers create meaningful leadership and development opportunities for specialty and specialist (SAS) doctors. It highlights the importance of effective job planning, access to mentoring and quality appraisals, and supporting ongoing professional development through tailored development plans. By investing in SAS doctors' growth and career progression, organisations can build a more engaged workforce, strengthen clinical leadership and enhance patient care.
Designing, recruiting and embedding specialist posts
New resource
Use our step-by-step guidance to support and manage specialist grade applications locally.
Best practice for developing SAS doctors
Investing in SAS doctors' development helps create stronger leaders, more engaged staff and better outcomes for patients. Our development guidance provides practical advice on supporting career progression through effective job planning, mentoring, appraisal, the portfolio pathway, coding / tariffs for clinical activity and much more.
Explore the SAS development guidance.
Opening leadership pathways for SAS doctors
Discover how University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust established a dedicated SAS leadership role and the positive impact it has had across the organisation. This case study highlights how empowering SAS doctors in leadership can strengthen departmental decision-making, support recruitment and retention, and help create a more inclusive workplace culture.
Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC)
Job title: Associate Medical Director for IMG, LED and SAS
The AoMRC has published a template / model job description for an associate medical director for IMG, LED and SAS which is a strategic leadership role across all specialties to enhance the working experience of international medical graduates (IMG), locally employed doctors (LED) and SAS doctors.
Read the job description and role (Opens PDF in a new window)
Royal College of Physicians' SAS leadership programme
The Royal College of Physicians has recently finished its first cohort of its new SAS leadership course. Read more information on the next cohort and other training opportunities.
Royal College of Surgeons webinar
Webinar, 7 October 6-7pm
Sign up for this an informative and practical webinar exploring the SAS charter and how it can support a SAS doctors' career development. There will also be an interactive Q&A, giving organisations the opportunity to ask questions, share experiences and discuss some of the challenges faced when putting the charter into practice within your organisation.
British Medical Association resources
Reasons why SAS doctors should have leadership roles
In this video, Dr Amit Kochhar, associate specialist, ENT surgery and BMA representative body chair, explains why SAS doctors make good leaders.
"SAS doctors are senior doctors, they're on the shop floor. They know what's happening. They know how they could change to make things better for the NHS".
SAS doctors acting up into a senior role guidance
This guidance from the BMA addresses the situation where a SAS grade doctor is asked to cover for a senior colleague for a limited period only and is acting up into a senior role (for example a specialist or consultant post).
