The SAS doctor ballot is now open

We are balloting along with consultant colleagues to make sure SAS doctors are valued appropriately – through our pay, career progression opportunities, and the recognition of our work.

Despite months of engagement in good faith with Government officials, we are still seeing insufficient evidence that the Government is taking SAS doctors’ issues seriously, let alone taking action to resolve them. The announcement of a pay ‘uplift’ of just 3.5% for 2026/27 made this crystal clear: SAS doctors are once again being taken for granted.

In September 2025, our indicative ballot showed 82% of SAS doctor respondents would be willing to take action. We were then finally able to meet the Secretary of State and start engaging with the Government.

We are now asking members to give us leverage once again, as we push for the changes that SAS doctors need. Vote YES in this statutory ballot, and encourage others to vote, to show the Government that SAS doctors are done being devalued, and ready to take a stand.

This ballot is open until 6 July, and conducted by post through our independent partner, Civica. Members will receive an orange envelope containing their ballot papers, and should vote as soon as possible. To be counted, votes must be received by Civica no later than noon on 6 July, and we recommend you post it no later than 29 June.

Read our SAS statutory ballot guidance for more details including how to vote, who is eligible (including some locally employed colleagues), and where to get further help.

SAS ballot guidance

SAS doctors have been taken for granted

What we are fighting for

We are pushing for SAS doctors to be paid fairly, and receive the recognition they deserve. We are determined to ensure that they are finally seen for the invaluable workforce that they are and treated accordingly. 

We are calling for: 

Fair pay

SAS pay erosion still stands at 23% and the 3.5% ‘pay award’ for 2026/27 deviates from the path toward pay restoration, showing that we are once again being taken for granted. We want to see SAS doctors’ pay restored to its 2008 levels and to stop the devaluation of our profession.

True career progression

2021 negotiations between the BMA and Government led to the introduction of the specialist grade – allowing SAS doctors with years of skills and experience to be recognised as senior doctors, and in turn improving the capacity and performance of the medical workforce.  

However, many SAS doctors are still not being given the opportunity to progress to specialist posts and there has been no progress toward setting up a mechanism for specialist progression in England – despite mechanisms being established in Scotland and Wales.  

As a result, SAS doctors in England are currently struggling to access the few posts that have been created, and have to compete with other grades to access them. The SAS committee have been advocating for the creation of more specialist posts, but as long as specialist posts are created purely at the employer’s discretion, these efforts can only go so far without structural change at a national level. We want the experience of specialty doctors to be recognised with automatic progress to the specialist role, creating a single pay spine in the SAS contract. 

We are also campaigning for SAS doctors to have other development opportunities to use their full potential. We want to see increased SPA time to allow SAS doctors to pursue development opportunities, and enhanced access to leadership roles – with regular data collection to analyse how many SAS doctors are in leadership roles.  

Proper recognition

SAS doctors’ time should be properly valued – we are calling for all SAS doctors’ PAs and OOH work to be fairly remunerated. In and out of hours, no SAS doctor should be disadvantaged when it comes to pay – whether it’s compared to other contracts or to their consultant counterparts. We also want to see a reversal of the extension of plain time for SAS doctors on the 2021 contract, meaning work done between 7pm and 9pm on weekdays should be considered out of hours. 

We believe being a SAS doctor should and can be a choice that is just as rewarding and valued as other medical career paths. We believe SAS annual leave should match that of consultants – especially for SAS doctors with more than seven years' experience, who often are given less entitlement than their senior consultant colleagues.

Far too many locally employed doctors (LEDs) who meet the criteria for a SAS role are trapped in locally employed contracts. Our SAS pay deal in 2024 included a process to give LEDs the option to move to SAS contracts, and our implementation group has been working hard to ensure this would materialise. We are still working with the Department of Health and Social Care to progress this and remain committed to improving the situation for our LED colleagues.

What you can do

Campaign resources

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