Medical and dental staff groups
Doctors and dentists in training
Foundation Programme
This is for doctors in their first two years after medical school. The contract includes details on working hours, pay scales, and educational requirements. It also covers conditions for additional hours and on-call duties.
Specialty training
These contracts are for doctors undergoing further training in a specific specialty. They outline similar terms to the Foundation Programme but are tailored to the specialty training requirements.
Common titles and abbreviations for doctors and dentists in training:
FY1 – foundation year one doctor
FY2 – foundation year two doctor
CT – core trainee in a hospital speciality
ST – specialty trainee in a hospital specialty
SpR – specialty registrar in a hospital specialty
GPST – specialty registrar in general practice
Resident doctors
Doctors either currently in postgraduate training or gaining experience as locally employed doctors (LEDs). LEDs will be employed on local contracts.
More information
View our doctors and dentists web page for more information.
Specialty and associate specialist (SAS) doctors
Specialty and specialist (SAS) doctors and dentists are experienced professionals who can form a significant proportion of any organisation's medical workforce.
Speciality doctors have completed at least four years of full-time postgraduate training, at least two of which will be in a specialty training programme in a relevant specialty, as a fixed-term specialty trainee in a relevant specialty or have equivalent experience and competencies.
Specialists have completed at least 12 years of medical work since obtaining a primary medical qualification. At least six of those years should have been in a relevant specialty in the Specialty Doctor and/or closed SAS grades.
More information
Our SAS landing page provides further information on the SAS workforce.
Consultant contract (2003)
A consultant is a senior doctor who is responsible for the care of hospital patients. To gain a certificate of completion of training (CCT), they must have completed a minimum of six years of training in their specialty area.
More information
Our consultant landing page provides further information on the consultant workforce.
Salaried dentists
Salaried primary care dentists work in different clinical settings with a variety of support staff. Domiciliary visits and mobile surgeries are a routine part of the service. Visiting patients at home is often necessary which can give dentists more information on social history, living conditions and the effect this may have on compliance with advice.
More information
Our employment guide for salaried dentists page provides further information on salaried dentists.
Locally employed doctors (LEDs)
LED is a catch-all term for doctors employed by an NHS trust who are not on one of the nationally negotiated contracts. A trust or provider employs LEDs on a local contract, which may and often will mirror one of those sets of terms and conditions of service (TCS) or might be a modified version.
More information
Our LED landing page provides further information on the LED workforce.
