The Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) is looking at the role, responsibilities and training of MPACs, Doctors.Net reported.

Dr Zaslona, a SAS psychiatrist, spoke about some of the concerns in the specialty about the work of MPACs.

She said: “We don’t feel best placed to supervise and teach these professionals, and also our capacity is not there.”

Read the article on Doctors.Net.

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Dr Victoria Zaslona said it had been ‘painted as the fault of IMGs’ when the problem was a result of years of poor workforce planning.

She was speaking on national radio during a discussion on the news UK medical graduates are to be given priority access to specialty training jobs in the NHS.

Training places

The Government has announced it will prioritise UK medical graduates for training places from 2026. It is part of its efforts to end industrial action by resident doctors.

Dr Zaslona, speaking on LBC, said: “One important thing to be really clear about is that junior doctors want training places.

“They don’t want international medical graduates to not have jobs or not be given training. It’s just that they want to be able to have training places.

“This is the government’s way of painting the issue of no training places as IMGs’ fault.

Medical training

She said that poor workforce planning over many years led governments to make short-term decisions to plug rota gaps, rather than invest strategically in medical training.

This resulted in large numbers of IMGs being recruited into locally employed doctor roles. These are posts often offering little training, limited support, and insecure terms.

“They’ve made very quick decisions about trying to fill rota gaps and opened up schemes to bring IMGs to fill those gaps,” she said.

“They want to come to the UK. They’ve heard how good the training schemes are. And then IMGs have aspirations, as many doctors do.

IMGs not to blame

“This problem has been created by the government itself, and now it’s being painted as the fault of IMGs.”

Dr Zaslona warned that political rhetoric risked scapegoating IMGs and perpetuating racist narratives, rather than addressing structural failures.

Citing the GMC workforce report, she noted that doctors outside formal training schemes now make up a growing proportion of the workforce.

This, she said, was another illustration of how ‘training schemes are no longer fit for purpose’.

Fit for purpose

She said: “But no one yet is really talking about re-wiring or dismantling and rebuilding the system.”

Listen to Dr Zaslona’s interview in full on the DAUK YouTube.

The SAS Six policy calls:

1. Every early career SAS doctor should have access to an educational supervisor.
2. All SAS doctors should have equity of access to professional development opportunities relevant to their stage of career.
3. All specialty doctors who meet the required capabilities should have the opportunity to become specialists.
4. Senior SAS doctors should be offered the opportunity to be educators at every level on a par with consultants e.g. educational supervisors, clinical supervisors, directors of medical education.
5. All extended roles in leadership and management should be open to all substantive medical staff that is, consultants and appropriately experienced SAS doctors.
6. All LEDs (locally-employed doctors) employed for more than two years within one NHS employer should be offered the opportunity to transfer to the appropriate SAS contract.

SAS Six campaign

Dr Victoria Zaslona, DAUK SAS lead, said: “DAUK is delighted to support SAS Collective and its #SASsix campaign. “SAS doctors provide vital, highly-skilled care for patients, and the campaign provides a clear, implementable roadmap to allow them to thrive. “It aims to ensure that all doctors are supported to achieve their potential which is essential for morale, retention and ultimately patient care and the NHS as a whole.” Dr Zaslona has written a blog on the #SASsix campaign. Read her blog on the DAUK Substack. DAUK is the latest organisation to support the #SASsix campaign. Others include the GMC, the Medical Women’s Federation, and Association of Anaesthetists. The royal colleges of Physicians, Anaesthetists, Psychiatrists, Ophthalmologists, Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and Paediatrics and Child Health have also supported it. DAUK committee members are volunteers and campaign about issues facing doctors in their own time. Please support our work by joining DAUK or donating to our GoFundMe.

Dr Zaslona is a SAS doctor in psychiatry in the East Midlands.

She is passionate about advocating for career development and professional equity for SAS doctors.

Representing SAS doctors Dr Zaslona represents SAS doctors for the Medical Women’s Federation, she is on the SAS Committee at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and is an LNC rep.

Welcome to DAUK Victoria.

DAUK committee members are all volunteers and campaign about issues facing doctors in their own time. Please support our work by joining DAUK or donating to our GoFundMe.