09.04.11
Doctors working above contracted hours
The NHS is relying on the goodwill of doctors to work for longer than their contracted hours, the Royal College of Physicians suggests.
According to the 2010 census, each week consultants work for 11.5% of their contracted hours extra for free. For doctors who work part-time, this rises to 14%. However, less time is being spent with junior doctors, which could be due to consultants taking on more tasks that junior doctors previously handled.
The European Working Time Directive (EWTD) is seen by the RCP as a key reason for the splitting up of senior doctors and trainees. The 2010 census showed that 29.6% of departments do not work EWTD-compliant rotas in practice, although 94.7% do on paper.
Dr Andrew Goddard, director of RCP Medical Workforce Unit, says: “This census shows that senior doctor expansion has fallen and that the NHS remains reliant on doctors working longer than their contracted hours. Consultants’ contracted hours have fallen significantly as hospitals strive to save £20bn over the next three years.
“Despite this, consultants continue to work the hours they have done in previous years and so the amount of 'goodwill work' is increasing year-on-year. Furthermore, consultants are finding themselves less available to teach trainees, often having to do jobs that would have previously been done by junior doctors. This is really worrying as training of future senior doctors is vital to high quality patient care in the NHS.”
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