Looking ahead to another SAS Week here in Northern Ireland, there is much to celebrate about progress of the specialist, associate specialist and specialty doctor grade across workplaces and in the BMA.
Since last year’s celebrations, our own Clodagh Corrigan has been appointed as Disability Advocate for the Southern Health Trust. This is the first such role in Northern Ireland, and Clodagh herself highlighted the need for back at BMA annual representative meeting in 2023, when her motion calling for BMA to lobby all health service employers to mandate for disability champions was unanimously passed.
Clodagh was also elected as the deputy chair of BMA Northern Ireland council this year for three years, and was re-elected on to the ARM agenda committee, helping to amplify the voice of our branch of practice within the BMA.
After many years of campaigning by he BMA Northern Ireland specialist, associate specialist and speciality doctor committee, the role of associate dean for SAS doctors was finally appointed by NIMDTA to lead on development of the grade, enhancing the great work of the SAS leads. Julie Anne Forbes has hit the ground running in this post, including launching the inaugural NIMDTA SAS Recognition Awards, which are being held during SAS Week on Thursday 17 October.
Most importantly for the SAS branch of practice is the commencement of local pay negotiations with the Department of Health. After pay deals were accepted by SAS doctors in both Wales and England – as well as consultants here in Northern Ireland – we have entered these negotiations hopeful they will result in meaningful steps towards full pay restoration for all SAS doctors locally, including doctors who transferred to the 2021 contract.
However, I am under no illusions that there is still much left to do to advance our grade.
We still await the appointment of a SAS advocate role by the Department of Health, a role designed to champion and support SAS wellbeing in the workplace. At a time of increasing workload pressures, the waiting list crisis and the moral distress this brings, NISASC will continue to lobby for this role to be appointed urgently.
Given our UK-leading the waiting list times, I was surprised that trusts have not been taking full advantage of the new specialist doctor contracts. However, I have been encouraged recently by growing numbers of appointments to these roles and hope to see this trend continue as employers recognise the benefits it will bring.
I take heart that despite the lack of movement on these areas, the sense of community and shared purpose of the SAS grade across Northern Ireland goes from strength to strength. This can be seen clearly in the number of events organised to mark SAS Week in workplaces across the country. I would encourage you all to check-in with the SAS lead in your trust to find out what is planned and go along.
I would also encourage you to check out BMA’s webpage for resources and two great member webinars to mark SAS Week.
#SASWeek24 takes place from 14 to 18 October.
Leanne Davison is chair of the BMA Northern Ireland SAS committee