Conference and award ceremony held to celebrate SAS doctors and dentists

Over 70 people attended a regional conference and award ceremony organised by Health Education England to celebrate SAS doctors and dentists across the north east and Cumbria.

The event, held for the second year, took place on Friday 17 March at Newcastle’s Crowne Plaza. Eight SAS doctors and dentists from regional NHS organisations also received awards for excellent work.

The conference opened with Dr Naomi Knapper from Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust guiding attendees through the process of becoming educational and clinical supervisors. This was followed with Dr Krishna Kumar from North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust explaining the Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR) support framework at hospitals in Cumbria.

In his address, Charlie Massey, Chief Executive of the General Medical Council, spoke about the importance of SAS doctors in the NHS. He also highlighted the need for ongoing work to ensure SAS doctors have the career development opportunities to match their skills

During the afternoon, Dr Katherine Hickman, a certified Life and Tiny Habits coach and GP with 18 years experience, spoke on how to effectively introduce tiny habits into our routines to reach larger goals. This was then followed by the Regional SAS Awards that were announced by Professor Namita Kumar, Regional Postgraduate Dean for HEE in the north east and Yorkshire region. Winners included:

• Teaching & Training Award: Dr Zoe Robertson from Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
• Innovation & Service Improvement Award: Dr Amy Fuller from County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
• Research & Audit Award: Aysha Rajeev from Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust
• Clinical Skills Award: Dr Muzzammil Majid from Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
• Leadership & Management Award: Dr Mike Wilkinson Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust
• Poster award: Dr Lasantha Arachchige from North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
• Regional SAS Doctor of the Year: Dr Libby Crawford from Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Regional SAS Dentist of the Year: Kathy Wilson from Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust​​​

After the awards, an expert panel was held with questions from the floor about challenges facing SAS doctors and how best to resolve them. The event then concluded with SAS Tutor Dr Laura Hipple who shared her wisdom and experience of 30 years of being an SAS doctor, how the role has evolved in this time and how she is looking forward to her new role as Vice President of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

The event ended with Navina Evans, Chief Executive of HEE, acknowledging the importance of SAS doctors and their contribution.

SAS doctors and dentists are a diverse group of doctors ranging in experience from four years post qualification to, in some cases, over 30 years of medical experience.

SAS includes specialty doctors and dentists, associate specialists, staff grades and specialists.