Dr Somaditya Bandyopadhyay is an international graduate from the Medical College, Calcutta, India. Sam is a specialist in geriatric medicine with an interest in ortho-geriatrics and Parkinson’s disease. He is also the joint training programme director for FY2 doctors in the trust.
Sam has been a member of the Education and Training Committee of the British Geriatrics Society since 2021. He created a support group through the social network of aspiring CESR (geriatrics) candidates and managed to add a few geriatricians who were successful in their CESR applications as mentors. The group is not exclusive to BGS members and is open to any SAS doctor who aspires to apply through the CESR pathway; 17 from this group of more than 70 doctors have applied for CESR (geriatrics).
Sam was concerned about the strikes affecting the work pattern of the SAS doctors and successfully appealed to the GMC and JRCPTB through the British Geriatrics Society in July 2023 to extend the deadline for CESR applications under the old curriculum from 31 August 2023 to 31 October 2023.
He works in close collaboration with the Workforce Committee of the British Geriatric Society and believes that, with their wealth of experience and knowledge, the SAS doctors are one of the solutions to the workforce crisis in the NHS.
SAS doctors are approximately a third of the physician workforce; they are the fastest growing group of doctors and will continue to play a vital role in the delivery of NHS services. Within the RCP, Sam’s aim is to bring focus to the SAS physician workforce and be their advocate. He wants to be helpful in the development of their professional identities and see more of them in leadership roles.
In this role, Sam’s focus will be on the implementation of the RCP strategy for SAS doctors. He’ll represent the views and interests of the SAS doctors within the RCP. His key objectives are going to be:
- to facilitate the RCP in a formal recruitment process in Spring 2024 to appoint a permanent successor to Dr Jamie Read
- to chair the SAS Regional Representative Network
- to continue to implement the SAS doctor strategy.
