Patience of SAS doctors in Scotland is running out

Hi All! As you may remember from my last blog, SSAS Committee decided not to submit evidence to the DDRB, we had lost confidence in its independence and willingness to impartially weigh the evidence submitted; and I told you that we had written jointly with the Scottish Consultants Committee (SCC) to the Cabinet Secretary for Health asking for direct pay negotiations.

You therefore may have been confused to see that the Scottish Government had submitted evidence to, and asked the DDRB to make recommendation for, SAS doctors in Scotland.

I want to update that Alan Robertson (Chair of SCC) and I met with the new Cabinet Secretary for Health, Neil Gray, last week. He was clear that he regards a recommendation from the DDRB as just a part of the process this year, and that he will be having direct talks in addition. Disappointingly, he was not able to give any timescale for these, as the Scottish Government is still considering the impact of the UK Government budget and is still to finalise their Public Sector pay metrics. It will come as no surprise that he also mentioned the perilous state of the public finances in Scotland.

Please be reassured that we emphasised that SAS and Consultant doctors are being left behind compared to our colleagues in England, and that this is worsening the already shocking number of vacancies and the recruitment crisis in NHS Scotland. If Scotland is not an attractive place for senior doctors to work, then the NHS in Scotland will never be on a sustainable footing – one of  the Cabinet Secretary’s stated aims.

We also made very clear that the patience of SAS doctors in Scotland is running out. Given that SAS doctors in England have had a successful ballot for industrial action (IA), and have rejected a pay and payscale offer from the UK Government, SAS doctors in Scotland will not wait forever to begin talking. While we do not consider the option of IA lightly and it would be an absolute last resort, at this stage we are not in a position to rule out the option of balloting you, our members.  .

I will update you as soon as we have any more news.

Dr Sine Steele is Chair of BMA Scotland’s Specialist, Associate Specialist and Specialty Doctor Committee