Health Education England and NHS Improvement have published their report, ‘Maximising the Potential: essential measures to support SAS doctors‘, making recommendations to support the career development of SAS doctors. It is hoped that through implementation of the shared commitments in the report the healthcare community will work to create and provide opportunities for SAS doctors to advance as clinicians and leaders in the NHS. The report was collated along with support from Dr Kirstin May as Chair of the Academy SAS Committee, The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) continues to be an active member of this steering group.
Two recommendations were made in relation to the work done by Medical Royal Colleges:
- Recommendation 6: The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC) will work with the Royal Colleges to encourage access to e-portfolios for SAS doctors who require it.
- Recommendation 8: AoMRC and HEE will explore how SAS doctors can be involved more effectively by colleges as a part of the education process, specifically as educational and clinical supervisors for doctors in training.
Building on ongoing internal work, the RCOphth looks forward to working collaboratively with the AoMRC and HEE to support our SAS doctors. The educational programme offered by the RCOphth continues to be open to SAS doctors, with the annual SAS Day and SAS Forum at our Annual Congress both incorporating elements of clinical leadership and management content. The RCOphth e-portfolio is available to SAS members and we continue to encourage its uptake and use.