Specialist, Associate Specialist & Specialty (SAS) Doctors & Dentists

SAS Development Programme

The Specialist, Associate Specialist and Specialty (SAS) Doctors and Dentists Development Programme was established in 2012 as a result of Scottish Government funding to develop SAS doctors and dentists working in NHS Scotland. Funding was initially on a three-year project basis but has now been added to NES’s baseline funding.

There are approximately 1300 SAS grade doctors and dentists working in NHS Scotland. They make up about 10% of the senior medical workforce.

The programme aims to direct national funding to those SAS doctors and dentists whose clinical teams are seeking to develop new or improved clinical services, or to enhance their role within the clinical team, and where funding is not otherwise provided by the employing Health Board. If approved, funding is available to support costs for training, salary backfill, or completion of training to apply for a Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR). In addition, funding has enabled the creation of a national network of Education Advisers (who are themselves SAS doctors or dentists) to support local SAS doctors and dentists, and to guide them (and their employing Health Boards) to make best use of this funding opportunity.

You can find further information on the SAS Development Programme in these useful documents: 

The Specialty Doctor contract recognises the need for time for appraisal and CPD, and all Specialty contracts should have at least one session of Supporting Professional Activity (SPA) per week to allow time for this.

The GMC has produced CPD guidance for all doctors, emphasising the importance of planning for career progression, patient safety and revalidation.

The BMA has produced a charter for Scottish SAS [PDF] (updated 2024), produced in conjunction with NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government, formally outlining the rights and responsibilities of SAS doctors and dentists. They also have a webpage on SAS payscales in Scotland as of the latest contract agreement of 2023.

Associate Postgraduate Dean and Operational Lead

Dr Lynne Meekison

Dr Lynne Meekison

Associate Postgraduate Dean and Operational Lead

Email »

SAS Managed Educational Network

Group of people smiling

Please find below a list of our SAS Education Advisers by health board region.

Please contact SASDevelopment@nes.scot.nhs.uk if you cannot reach your EA, or if you are in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde where you will be assigned one of our three local EAs.

Health Board Region

Education Adviser

 Contact

NHS Ayrshire & Arran

Dr Mithun Barik

Mithun.Barik@aapct.scot.nhs.uk

NHS Borders

Dr Pinky Yadav

Pinky.Yadav@borders.scot.nhs.uk

NHS Dumfries & Galloway

Dr Shona Donaldson

Shona.Donaldson2@nhs.scot

NHS Fife

Dr Gemma Falconer

Gemma.Falconer@nhs.scot

NHS Forth Valley

Please contact SAS office for support

SASDevelopment@nes.scot.nhs.uk

NHS Grampian, Orkney & Shetland

Dr Graham Wilson

Graham.Wilson3@nhs.scot

NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde

Dr Gary Manson

Gary.Manson@nhs.scot

NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde & Golden Jubilee

Dr Narmadha Kali Vanan

Narmadha.KaliVanan4@nhs.scot

NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde

Dr Mun Woo

Mun.Woo@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

NHS Highland & Western Isles

Dr Clare Livingston

Clare.Livingston@nhs.scot 

NHS Lanarkshire & State Hospital

Dr Patricia Townsley

Patricia.Townsley@nhs.scot

NHS Lothian & NSS

Dr Lynne Meekison

Lynne.Meekison@nhs.scot

NHS Tayside

Mrs Komathy McBay

Komathy.McBay3@nhs.scot

Who can I contact for more information?

Philip Smith, Senior SAS Programme Officer

Julie Aveling, SAS Programme Officer

NHS Education for Scotland
1st Floor, 102 West Port
Edinburgh, EH3 9DN

(please note that NES staff are currently working from home – to contact please email)

(Please note that NES staff are currently working from home – to contact please email)

SASDevelopment@nes.scot.nhs.uk

 

0141 488 1690

 

This page was last updated on: 09.10.2025 at 12.17