SAS doctor (specialty doctor and specialist)

SAS stands for specialty and specialist doctors and dentists. According to NHS Employers, the SAS group has three grades:

• Specialty doctor: the main SAS grade, open to new entrants.
• Specialist: a senior grade created in 2021 to give SAS doctors a career progression route.
• Associate specialist: a closed grade; doctors already in it may remain.

SAS doctors work in a single specialty and are senior to doctors in training in experience, but are not on a training programme. Posts are usually permanent, which is one reason many international doctors aim for them.

The 2021 national terms and conditions set minimum entry criteria.

Specialty doctor: full registration and a licence to practise with the GMC, and at least four years' full-time postgraduate training (or part-time equivalent), at least two of them in a specialty training programme or as a fixed-term specialty trainee in a relevant specialty, or equivalent experience and competencies.

Specialist: full registration and a licence, and at least 12 years' medical work since primary qualification, of which at least six years should be in a relevant specialty in the specialty doctor or closed SAS grades. NHS Employers says equivalent experience from other grades, including overseas, is accepted. Candidates must also meet the specialist generic capabilities framework.

Pay is set nationally and rises with experience. From 1 April 2026, NHS Employers Pay and Conditions Circular (M&D) 1/2026 R2 sets basic pay in England at:

• Specialty doctor (2021 contract): £63,696 to £102,689, with a threshold after eight years.
• Specialist (2021 contract): £104,401 to £115,341.

These are 2026/27 basic salaries for a full-time job plan. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own arrangements.

1. Get full GMC registration, usually through PLAB or an accepted postgraduate qualification.
2. Build UK experience, often in a locally employed doctor post, or apply directly if your overseas experience meets the criteria.
3. Apply for advertised specialty doctor or specialist posts at NHS trusts through NHS Jobs or trust sites.
4. Arrange a visa if needed; see our Health and Care Worker visa guide.

Many SAS doctors later apply for the Specialist Register through the Portfolio pathway, which can open the way to consultant posts.

• Mixing up SAS and LED posts. A trust grade or clinical fellow job is local and is not the same as a national SAS contract, even when the job title sounds similar.
• Counting experience incorrectly. Read each person specification against the national entry criteria, and keep evidence of every post you count, including overseas posts.
• Expecting automatic progression to specialist. The specialist grade is a separate post you apply for when one is advertised; it is not a promotion that happens with time.
• Overlooking pay progression rules. NHS Employers says SAS doctors are expected to progress on time, with specialty doctors moving through their scale over at least 12 years and specialists over at least six.