The government has made an offer to the British Medical Association (BMA) for specialty and specialist (SAS) doctors in England.
The offer has been designed to address the imbalance between the old and new contracts and speed up the delivery of the key objectives of the 2021 SAS deal, including the creation of more specialist posts. The offer also prioritises supporting the career development and progression of SAS doctors, as well as supporting locally employed doctors (LEDs).
The offer describes:
- New investment from the government applied to those SAS doctors on the 2021 terms and conditions of service, effective from 1 January 2024. This is in addition to uplift provided to these doctors as part of the DDRB process for 2023-24.
- A catalyst pot of £5 million in financial year 2024-25 to support employers with the creation and implementation of permanent specialist roles where there is service need, with the intention of supporting specialty doctors to progress in their careers.
- Priority actions to support the career development and progression of SAS doctors as well as setting out a commitment for a piece of work to be done to support locally employed doctors (LEDs), building on the LED strategy in development.
The British Medical Association will put the offer to its SAS membership with voting to take place in January 2024. Strike action will continue to be paused while union members are balloted on the offer. If accepted, the changes to pay will be backdated to 1 January 2024.
