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SAS grade voting arrangements

• Staff grades on a National contract
• Associate Specialists on a National contract
• Hospital Practitioners on a National contract (but not GPs who are providing a primary care service in the secondary care setting or community hospitals)
• Clinical Assistants (but not GPs who are providing a primary care service in the secondary care setting or community hospitals)
• SCMOs on a National contract
• CMOs on a National contract
• SAS locums will be eligible to vote but will need to be registered primarily as SAS grades with the BMA
• SAS grades acting up (if their details are registered correctly with the BMA)

• Junior doctors –It is not SASC’s intention to ask hospital doctors in training to vote, either directly or in an advisory capacity. The BMA Junior Doctors Committee has however had some input to the negotiations as any new contract may affect doctors in training.
• Non-standard posts – it is also not SASC’s intention to ask doctors in non-standard posts to vote. They are not directly within the remit of the negotiations, which is restricted to doctors on national contracts, explicitly excluding those on local contracts. While both negotiating parties hope that such doctors would benefit from the new contract, for example by employers being encouraged to use the national contract, there is nevertheless no national forum either with NHS Employers or the Department of Health in which to negotiate terms and conditions of service for doctors on local contracts. Added to this are the practical difficulties of ensuring an accurate database of doctors on local contracts and a potential demarcation between doctors in non-accredited training posts and doctors on SAS-level equivalent local contracts. SASC therefore does not believe it is appropriate or practical to include non-standard/local contract post-holders in the vote on the SAS contract agreement.

• If you believe that you should be included in the vote (see above) and didn’t receive a summary document at the end of January 2008 then it is likely that you will not be on the initial voting paper mailout. If you register after 7 February you may not receive your voting paper until after the second mailing on 7 March.
• Members and non-members can register to vote with the BMA anytime up to the 3 March 2008.
• You can register/check and update your address and registered details by phone, email or online.Those registering after 3 March will not be able to vote but will receive email updates.
• Data was finalised for the ERS on 7 February 2008. Those doctors (and dentists) registering for the vote or updating details after this date, will need to register with the BMA Membership Department. Their status will then be validated and they will be included in a second mailing of voting forms, where appropriate, on 7 March 2008.

• The voting paper will be 2 pages in a clearly marked envelope. It will include some background information and the following question: Do you support the introduction of the new national contract for doctors and dentists in the SAS grades?
• You will have the option of either a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.
• Spoilt voting papers will also be counted.
• By returning the voting paper you are declaring that you are eligible to vote.
• You may vote only once by internet, telephone or post (reply paid envelope will be enclosed) – the voting paper will explain how to use your personal pin codes to vote.

• The voting paper will be mailed out on 25 February 2008 with a deadline of 5pm on 14 March 2008.

• SASC UK will be meeting on 18 March 2008 and the outcome of the vote should be available for discussion at SASC UK and publicly released the next day if not before.
• The vote will be counted on a UK basis although Scotland has also requested a country-specific count and SASC UK will consider how to use this data breakdown.
• If a simple majority of respondents in England/ Wales/ Northern Ireland and Scotland vote ‘yes’, the contract will be available from 1 April 2008 to SAS doctors and dentists across the UK who wish to transfer. (Governments have confirmed that take-up of the new contract would be on an optional basis).
• If the vote is different in Scotland to the combined England, Wales and Northern Ireland vote then SASC UK will need to consider the next steps.
• SASC UK will aim to announce the result on the week commencing Monday 17 March.