Association responds to the GMC's The state of medical education and practice UK workforce report 2024
28 November 2024
The Association of Anaesthetists welcomes findings set out in the GMC’s The state of medical education and practice UK Workforce report 2024 that warn that the UK risks wasting the talents of tens of thousands of overlooked and undervalued locally employed (LE) doctors.
The Association is a supporter of the SAS Collective’s SAS Six which calls on anaesthetic departments to ensure Speciality and Associate Specialist (SAS) and LE doctors are offered an appropriate national contract and to ensure these groups are provided the same opportunities to develop and access training as other groups. The Association has consistently called for more training places in anaesthetics to match the expansion of medical graduates, to address existing shortages in departments, estimated at 1900 anaesthetists, and to ensure SAS and LE doctors have equal opportunities to access development opportunities.
The Association of Anaesthetists has a range of resources available for SAS and LE doctors, in its SAS Handbook which provides information and advice for international medical graduates, who make up the majority of LE doctors, and all who may be better served by being on a SAS contract.
The functioning of our health service relies on the efforts of SAS and LE doctors and the Association of Anaesthetists supports calls to recognise the extraordinary value these groups provide to our NHS.