Health Secretary Alan Johnson Today Welcomed The Positive Vote To Accept A New Contract For SAS Doctors, UK

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 18 Mar 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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The BMA SAS Committee will discuss the results tomorrow and we would expect formal transition to the new contract to follow shortly. This means that from 1 April, SAS doctors will be able to express an interest in transferring to the new contractual arrangements. Once doctors agree a job plan with their employer and accept an offer, they will move onto new Associate Specialist or Specialty doctor terms.

Doctors who accept the invitation to transfer to new terms will receive the first half of the associated pay increase immediately, with pay backdated to 1 April 2008. The full pay increase will follow on 1 April 2009.

Alan Johnson said:

"I am pleased that SAS doctors have voted to accept the contract. Although it has been a long and sometimes rocky road to reach this point, this is a clear indication that SAS doctors share our belief that the contract is good for the profession, patients and the NHS.

"Under the contract, SAS doctors will receive much fairer financial rewards that recognise their exceptional skills and experience. They will also have greater opportunities to progress to the top of their grade and the Government has already committed recurrent funding of £12m to support their continuing professional development.

"There will be a lot of hard work ahead as the NHS agrees new job plans with thousands of doctors. Effective job planning between doctors and their employers will be key to ensuring that the new arrangements deliver benefits for patients, doctors and the service".

The contract will deliver:

- A new grade of Specialty Doctor to which staff grade doctors and other non-consultant career grade doctors (except GP-qualified staff) will assimilate

- A new salary scale with improved basic pay

- Average pay increases for staff grades of 5.2% in 2008/09 and 5% in 2009/10

- Average pay increases for associate specialists of 1.8% in each of the two years

- Clear standards for entry to the grade and progression through thresholds

- Improved job planning with clarity and control, linking to what commissioners want and ensuring that the service can manage doctors' time to best meet local service needs and priorities

- Regular appraisal and portfolio development

1. Three weeks of voting on the new SAS contract ended on Friday 14 March.

2,105 of those who voted (60.4 per cent) voted that they supported the introduction of the new national contract for doctors and dentists in the SAS grades. It was opposed by 2,034 (39.6 per cent).

UK-wide turnout was 40 per cent or 5,139 out of 13,296 ballot papers issued.

3. There are around 8,000 Staff and Associate Specialist doctors in England. They are experienced doctors no longer in training to become consultants or General Medical Practitioners or General Dental Practitioners.

4. SAS doctors will receive 50% of their pay increase in Year One (on 1 April 2008) and 50% in Year Two (on 1 April 2009). This relates to pay increase of 1 increment. It does not relate to other pay elements which will be paid in full, (eg rebasing to a 40 hour per week contract).

5. Additional benefits to employers include:
- improved management of SAS doctors' through annual job planning, objective setting and performance appraisal.
- improved incentives to attract staff for Out of Hours (OOHs) and weekend working

http://www.dh.gov.uk