Last year, I attended my first SAS sub-committee meeting at the Autumn BGS conference and, much to my surprise, walked out as the ‘volunteered’ chairman of the group.

I am not a political animal by nature, but having been elected I wish to address the following:

• If our group is to be taken seriously we need to regularise our sub-committee, and one of the first items at this year’s meeting will be to formalise a constitution for the group.
• In order to achieve any future aims, a complete register of SAS doctors, whether members of the BGS or not, is required.
• For the sub-committee to represent your views, attendance at the annual meeting needs to be increased.
  
  

  To initiate action on these issues I sent our current contact list of SAS doctors a short questionnaire, the results of which I summarise below. I would like to thank Annette Guerda-Fischer for all her help in the organisation and collation of the replies.

  The SAS sub-committee will meet in Harrogate on Thursday, 8 October at 12.45. Please do come!

There was a 48% response rate (45/93) – thank you to all those who took the time to reply. As for the other 48 sloths and any SAS doctors we may not aware of – it is not too late – please make contact by email: suemorgan@doctors.org.uk ; text or phone: 07763 363992 or by mailing Annette Guerda-Fischer at the BGS office in London.

Do not leave it, pick up your mouse/mobile/pen and communicate now. The only way the sub-committee can become an effective voice for your views is by the backing of each individual.

Lastly, let me encourage you to attend the BGS meeting in Harrogate and to come along to the subcommittee meeting. We will be discussing the constitution for the sub-committee and the issues that you would like your committee to be working on. An excellent lunch will be provided and we will make every effort to stimulate both brain and digestive juices. Please support us so we have the endorsement to represent you.

Sue Morgan
Chairman
Staff and Associate Specialists Sub-Committee

Survey of Staff and Associate Specialists - Results

Earlier this summer I sent out a brief questionnaire, I was very conscious that everyone was probably suffering from survey fatigue as I personally have filled in 3 other questionnaires on SASC issues in the last year. Despite this fact we received a 48% response. Of these, 3 doctors had transferred back onto the training ladder into the SpR grade and 1 form was incorrectly completed, so the following information is from 41 responses.

The vast majority (40) considered themselves to be primarily geriatricians, rather than doctors with an interest in elderly care.

Only 14 made it to last year’s autumn meeting, with two thirds (28) unable to attend. Of these 7 could not obtain study leave; 10 were required for departmental cover; 4 had problems funding the conference; and 2 had problems with hotel expenses. A further 5 had problems with the London location; 10 couldn’t attend for personal reasons; and only 3 cited lack of interest in the programme as a reason for non-attendance.

Many cited more than 1 reason for non-attendance but encouragingly, 24 stated that they will be attending the next meeting. The responders were almost equally divided between London and Harrogate being the more convenient venue.

Half the doctors who responded provided us with further names of SAS doctors working in elderly care.