What is an SAS advocate and how can the role help your practice?

An SAS advocate is crucial to supporting SAS doctor health and wellbeing, as well as bringing a number of organisational benefits

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on NHS Employers

The specialty and specialist (SAS) advocate role is a strategic role to promote and improve support for SAS doctors’ health and wellbeing; it is an additional role for an existing employee and not intended to replace existing support for SAS doctors. An SAS advocate can:

• help your organisation become an employer of choice for SAS doctors;
• be part of improving the health and wellbeing of the SAS doctor workforce within your organisation;
• share good practices across your organisation, and with other organisations;
• show your organisation’s commitment to improving SAS doctors’ experience. 

It also has a number of organisational benefits because practices with a SAS advocate will:

• be a point of contact for SAS doctors;
• ensure that a consistent approach to the health and wellbeing of SAS doctors is adopted across the organisation;
• improve the experience and visibility of SAS doctors within an organisation;
• provide a link to the board and local negotiating committee to raise the profile and feedback any issues.

To be effective in their role the advocate should have, or should be supported to develop:

• an understanding of the SAS doctor workforce and challenges they experience;
• the ability to advocate for the workforce;
• the ability to liaise with a range of stakeholders.