Junior doctors still work 56 hours a week, BMA says

20 July 2010

MORE than half of trainee doctors questioned in a survey regularly work more than 56 hours over a seven day period, the BMA says.

And a third of respondents admitted to working more than 65 hours a week. The findings were revealed in a BMA survey into the effects of the European Working Time Directive. It showed those likely to work the longest hours were in neurosurgery, surgery and paediatrics. Respondents were more likely to work excess hours if there were vacancies on their rota.

The electronic questionnaire was sent to more than 14,700 junior doctors across the UK on December 18, 2009, the BMJ reported. A total of 1567 responses were received – which represents five per cent of the BMA’s junior doctor members.

Just over 40 per cent of those who responded to the questionnaire reported vacancies on their rota, which were mainly for hospital and academic or research posts. One in three of the vacancies were for specialty trainee year three to eight grades.

Just more than half of respondents said they had felt pressured to work extra shifts that were not recorded by managers. Respondents indicated that the implementation of the EWTD has had a negative effect on training, with an increased focus on service delivery, discontinuity in patient care and training and a move towards working more unsocial hours.

Of those who responded, two-thirds were concerned or very concerned that juniors could be pressured by their employer to opt out of the EWTD. But only one in ten said they had been pressured to do this. Most of those who had been asked to opt out had agreed to do so, largely to cover rota gaps.