Presidents from four medical royal colleges joined specialist, associate specialist and specialty (SAS) doctors for a special Meet your president event last night, discussing how colleges and employers can improve recognition, career development and leadership opportunities across the SAS workforce.
The RCP has marked SAS Week 2026 by bringing together presidents from four medical royal colleges for an open conversation with SAS doctors about recognition, professional development and the changes needed to help every doctor reach their potential.
Hosted by RCP president Professor Mumtaz Patel, the event featured president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Professor Subodh Dave, president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Professor Clare McNaught and president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Professor Steve Turner. The session was chaired by Dr Eman Toeima, SAS lead at the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.
Opening the discussion, Eman spoke about the value of collaboration between the medical royal colleges and faculties, ensuring that SAS and locally employed doctors can help shape decisions affecting their careers and working lives. She highlighted work under way on career progression, specialist posts, contracts and the wider development of the SAS workforce.
The presidents shared examples of how their colleges are strengthening SAS representation, widening access to education and leadership opportunities, and challenging longstanding inequalities.
At the RCP, SAS doctors are represented through a national network and across Council, career-stage committees, consultations and other areas of college work. The RCP has also developed tailored leadership courses and educational supervision guidance, supported webinars led by SAS doctors, and widened access to college awards and opportunities. New RCP SAS priorities for 2026–30 focus on recognition and respect, equitable access to development and leadership, workplace culture, wellbeing and amplifying the SAS voice.
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Mumtaz told attendees that SAS Week should be part of a year-round commitment to celebrating SAS doctors and sharing their work. She also emphasised the need for colleges to learn from one another and address gaps collectively.
A recurring theme was that SAS doctors should not be treated as a single, uniform group. Clare said success meant understanding what each clinician needed to fulfil their potential, including fair access to study leave, educational resources, grants and fellowships. ‘We couldn’t do this without you,’ she explained to attendees. ‘So really, at the beginning of this week, I want to say a huge thank you to all the doctors who are working so hard to keep our services going.’
The discussion also explored the cultural change needed within healthcare organisations. Subodh called for ‘person-centred learning’ that recognises different career journeys. ‘The most important thing,’ he said, ‘is to make sure that every SAS doctor feels that they belong.’
Attendees spoke about the importance of opening leadership, supervisory, educational and academic roles to SAS doctors. Dr Jamil Ahmad Khan, joint chair of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s SAS committee, encouraged more SAS doctors to pursue clinical lead, clinical director and senior leadership positions, supported by action locally and nationally.
The session heard that career and educational support must be built into every medical role. ‘Everybody working in the workplace, regardless of their job title, needs a personal development plan,’ said Steve. ‘They need educational supervision. They need protected time to develop.’
Participants also stressed that the SAS career is not simply a route to becoming a consultant, but a rewarding career in its own right. Eman described her own decision to return to an SAS role after working as a consultant and encouraged doctors to pursue leadership and educational opportunities within their chosen pathway.
‘The SAS pathway is a rewarding, fulfilling career alternative pathway to being a consultant,’ she said.
Reflecting on the discussions, Mumtaz said:
‘SAS doctors bring enormous skill, experience and leadership to patient care, and they must have the same respect, recognition and opportunity to develop as every other doctor. SAS Week is an important celebration, but our commitment cannot be limited to one week. We need to remove barriers throughout the year, open doors to education and leadership, and make sure SAS doctors’ voices shape the future of medicine.’
Closing the event, the panel agreed that progress will depend on action beyond SAS committees and networks. College leaders, medical directors, clinical leads, consultants, resident doctors and medical students all have a role in recognising the contribution of SAS doctors and ensuring that opportunities are accessible across every career pathway. Mumtaz said this required change from the top down and the bottom up, with SAS doctors fully integrated into teams rather than seen as a separate group.
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