Background on the staff and associate
specialists group.
Aims and objectives of SASC
The BMA established the Staff and Associate
Specialists Committee (SASC) at its annual representative meeting
in July 2002 specifically to represent the unique needs of this
group of senior hospital and community doctors. SASC is made up of
representatives from:
- 12 regional English committees
- the national committees for Scotland, Wales
and Northern Ireland
- 8 members are elected by the representative
body at the BMA’s annual representative meeting
- a representative from the BDA
- observers from other BMA craft committees and
the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.
The SASC aims to:
- improve access to training
- promote the enormous contribution made by the SAS group of
doctors to the NHS
- address poor pay for this group and the growing pay
differential between them and medical colleagues
- support the new contract and negotiate any necessary
amendments.
- improve opportunities for career progression
- develop clinical independence within recognised areas of
competency for doctors in the SAS group
- develop and improve links with and influence over the
Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and the PMETB
- refine its policies on the role of competency-based assessment
for SAS doctors
- work with the Departments of Health, employers organisations
and the medical royal colleges for improved career progression for
the SAS group through the implementation of many of the proposals
set out in Choice and Opportunity
SAS group doctors
workforce
Figures as at April 2004 are: Associate
Specialists 4290, Staff Grades 2101, Clinical Assistants 3165,
non-standard grades 181. These figures exclude hospital dentists in
SAS grades.
The title associate specialist, introduced in
1981, arose out of the medical assistant grade, which was a
permanent career grade of limited responsibility created in 1964.
Since 1991 an inclusive professional contract, similar to that of
consultants has been in place with discretionary points replacing
the performance supplement in 1996. Associate specialists are
employed on contracts based on 11 notional half days per week where
1 notional half day is equivalent to 3½ hours worked flexibly.
Associate specialists are senior hospital doctors specialists,
technically responsible to named consultants. Research in 2001
found that 15% of associate specialists work at a similar level to
that attributed to consultants.
The EC Working Time Directive limits working
time to no more than an average 48 hours per week. Further
information, including Minimum Entry Requirements, Appointments
Procedure and Salaries, is available through the
secretariat in BMA guidance notes. This grade was closed in April
2008 with regrading accepted to the 2008 with regrading accepted to
the 2008 SAS contract (which included new Terms and Conditions of
Service) until 1 April 2009.
The staff grade was introduced in 1988 to meet
service requirements and a national ceiling on numbers limited to
10% of Consultants’ was removed in 1997 (except in Scotland) when
the current contract was introduced (a significant number remain on
the old contract). A session equals 4 hours and EC Working Time
regulations limit work to an average of 48 hours per week (12
sessions). Staff doctors are regarded as senior hospital doctors
and research has shown that 3% of Staff Grades work at a similar
level to consultants. Further information, including Minimum Entry
Requirements, Appointments Procedure and Salaries,
is available through the secretariat in BMA guidance notes. This
grade was closed in April 2008.
Clinical assistants (part-time medical officers)
are appointed under aragraph 94 of the terms and conditions of
service in ‘notional half day’(NHD) sessions. There are limits on
the number of NHDs for which clinical assistants can be appointed –
no more than 5 for non-GP clinical assistants, and no more than 9
for others. These restrictions are now very rarely enforced,
resulting in full-time clinical assistants being employed in
non-standard grades without clearly defined national terms and
conditions of service.
Non standard grades
Many trusts have created new grades of doctors
with non-standard terms and conditions of service to circumvent
manpower planning mechanisms controlling the proportion of staff
and associate specialist doctors within trusts, and as a result of
resource pressures. Such irregular posts are not protected by
national terms and conditions of service and the BMA has campaigned
for many years against their use.
The speciality doctor grade was introduced on 1
April 2008 after neogtiations between the BMA and NHS Employers. It
replaces the existing Associate Specialist, Staff Grade, Hospital
Practitoner and Clinical Assistant (part time medical officer and
part time general dental practitioner) grades. Specialty Doctors
will be employed on a contract similar to that for consultants of
10 Programmed Activities. Optional points have been subsumed into
the pay scale. Further information including summary documents and
terns and conditions of service are available on the BMA
website.
Specialist register
From 1997 it has been a legal requirement for
all doctors to be on the GMC’s specialist register before they can
take up a consultant post within the UK. The aim of this
requirement was to allow the freedom of movement of doctors
throughout the European Economic Area (EEA). Access to the
specialist register has been very limited for doctors in the staff
and associate specialists group under this legislation, which has
now been replaced by an Order setting up the Postgraduate Medical
Education and Training Board (PMETB).
The PMETB replaced the STA as the competent
authority for specialist registration. The Order aimed to broaden
access to the specialist register by allowing specialist medical
experience and knowledge, wherever gained, to be taken into account
when assessing doctors for specialist registration. This
legislation provides an opportunity for SAS doctors to gain access
to the specialist register via article 14. SAS doctors are advised
to maintain a good logbook, get their CVs up to date and (if
eligible) to apply to the PMETB. Further advice can be
sought directly from the PMETB secretariat and guidance is
available on the BMA website.
New contract
SASC has pressed for new terms and conditions
with new pay arrangements for SAS doctors and dentists throughout
the UK since the committee was established. In January 2005 the
Government gave a mandate for negotiations to start with NHS
Employers. Formal Negotiations started in May 2005 and were
concluded in November 2006.
Read more information on the contract negotiations.
SASC key principles in forming the framework of a new contract are
to:
Contacting SASC
These briefing notes are intended as a
reference for SASC committee members, particularly for helping you
if you are ever interviewed on SASC and its work. If you have any
comments or feedback on these notes, please contact SASC at
info.sasc@bma.org.uk or by
writing to Hugh Townsend, Secretary SASC, BMA House, Tavistock
Square, London WC1H 9JP. We are always interested to hear from
you.