New SAS Contract and the implications for consultants
3 April 2008
Following the recent SAS vote, the proposed new Specialty Doctor and Associate Specialist contracts were formally accepted by SASC UK on18 March 2008. The new contract will be offered on an optional basis from 1 April 2008.
Consultants and Medical Managers are likely to be central in the job planning process for SAS doctors. It is essential that time is allocated in their own job plans to make provision for this. We strongly recommend that LNCs meet to discuss the implications of the implementation of the contract for all doctors in the hospital and particularly address how the job plans of consultants will have to be adjusted to take into account the extra time they will need to help both with implementation and recurring responsibilities related to job planning for SAS doctors. This will include not only the time spent conducting the job planning process but also any necessary training. It is likely that the workload will be higher during the implementation phase than during subsequent job planning years.
Checklist for Consultants
The new SAS contract is very similar to the one introduced in 2003 for consultants in England and most clinical directors and other consultants involved in the process will be familiar with both the general format of the contract and terms and conditions of service and much of the detail. There are, however, a number of key differences that consultants should be aware of and these are set out below:
- The new SAS contract is based on a 10 programmed activity basic weekly commitment which is broken down into direct clinical care and supporting professional activities. SAS doctors are offered a guaranteed minimum of 1 SPA per week and if they feel that more SPA time will be required, must raise this in the job planning meeting. Those more senior SD and AS doctors are likely to need more than 1 SPA to meet the requirements for incremental and threshold progression.
- There is one single on-call supplement spine which sits between the percentage rates offered to consultants on the A and B spines. The rates are 6%, 4% and 2%.
- Diaries are essential to job planning for the contract. Diaries should be used as evidence for working hours and also for recording the content and outcomes of SPA work.
- The incremental and threshold points are different to those under the consultant contract and passing through threshold 1 requires participation in 360 degree appraisal. The BMA is preparing guidance on this process. For some SAS doctors this will be necessary in year one of the new contract. LNCs should consider this a priority and ensure that a system is in place in good time.
- Consultants only have to work resident on-call or in premium time by mutual agreement. The new Specialty Doctor contract does not offer this protection although it is clear that the spirit of the new contract is based around mutual agreement and partnership working.
- The optional and discretionary points systems will no longer apply to those who transfer to the new contracts. It is therefore essential that LNCs ensure that optional and discretionary points rounds are fully up to date. This will help with assimilation.