Specialist and Specialty Doctors

Specialist and Specialty (SAS) doctors are a cornerstone of the NHS, bringing a wealth of expertise and experience to patient care. Specialty doctors should have at least four years of postgraduate training with two years in the specialty of Intensive Care Medicine (ICM) and specialist doctors are senior SAS doctors with a minimum of 10-12 years’ experience with six years working in the specialty of ICM. There may be some doctors who remain in the previous Associate Specialist grade role with similar levels of experience and responsibility expected of the specialist grade doctor.

The Faculty are dedicated to ensuring SAS doctors are fully supported in their professional journeys, offering resources tailored to their needs. In drafting this guidance, we hope to encourage employers and clinical leads to think about how they can create a high-quality training pathway and opportunities for their SAS doctors. 

Why SAS Doctors Matter

SAS doctors represent one of the fastest-growing segments of the medical workforce. With flexible career options, extensive opportunities for professional development, and a crucial role in multidisciplinary teams, we believe SAS doctors should have access to:

• Trust inductions, departmental inductions, and mandatory training before starting the first day of clinical work. With regular pastoral support and mentors to be offered during the appointment.
• Fair remuneration, clearly defined roles and a mutually agreed job plan as per SAS contract that recognises their clinical experience and workload.
• SAS doctors should receive the same entitlements as consultants when it comes to Supporting Professional Activities (SPA) time, study leave, and access to study budgets. This includes appropriate time and funding for revalidation and continuing professional development (CPD).
• Specialty doctors deserve a nominated clinical and educational supervisor with regular, scheduled supervision meetings. Specialty doctors with the requisite experience should be offered the opportunity to become specialists.
• SAS doctors who wish to pursue the Portfolio Pathway should be proactively supported by departmental leads and employers.
• SAS doctors should have similar opportunities as any substantive consultant to undertake extended roles within critical care as well as opportunities to take non-patient-facing responsibilities within a wider organisational structure such as clinical management, research, teaching, mentoring and administrative tasks.
• A supportive work environment that fosters their personal and professional growth.

Our Commitment to SAS Doctors

We believe SAS doctors must have:

• Access to educational and training opportunities equivalent to doctors on formal training pathways.
• Regular appraisals and career development guidance to support them in achieving their ambitions.
• A platform to showcase their contributions and leadership within the healthcare system.

Resources & Support 

We are exploring ways to better support SAS doctors in Intensive Care Medicine. Potential initiatives include developing example SAS job plans, improving access to exam preparation resources, study leave, and CPD planning support, as well as creating opportunities to engage in FICM programmes, conferences, and mentoring. We welcome input to help shape this work.

References:

• The state of medical education and practice in the UK Workforce, GMC 2024: https://www.gmc-uk.org/-/media/documents/somep-workforce-report-2024-full-report_pdf-109169408.pdf
• Generic professional capabilities framework, GMC: https://www.gmc-uk.org/education/standards-guidance-and-curricula/standards-and-outcomes/generic-professional-capabilities-framework