Joint report warns of looming problems in working hours

2009 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-15
Author(s):  
Matthew Worrall
Keyword(s):  
Royal College ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Working Time ◽  
European Working Time Directive ◽  
Clinical Team ◽  
European Working ◽  
Working Time Directive ◽  
Joint Report

Is your hospital ready for the 48-hour week? Do you think your rota as it stands is going to cope? If every member of your clinical team lost eight hours a week from tomorrow, do you think you could continue to offer patients a proper service? At present, for many fellows and members the answer to these questions is probably no. Over half of respondents to a survey undertaken by this College, alongside the Royal College of Anaesthetists, declared they were unprepared for the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) August 2009 deadline of 48 hours per week.

scholarly journals Perceived impact of EWTD on UK doctors

2009 ◽  
Vol 91 (4) ◽  
pp. 132-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryckie G Wade ◽  
James Henderson
Keyword(s):  
Patient Care ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Working Time ◽  
European Working Time Directive ◽  
Junior Doctors ◽  
European Working ◽  
Perceived Impact ◽  
Working Time Directive ◽  
A Current

Doctors have historically worked long hours to provide patient care but also to gain experience. Over the last decade, working hours have decreased significantly, and the introduction of the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) has formalised this. In August 2009, junior doctors (but not consultants) will be limited to a 48-hour working week (see http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Managingyourorganisation/Huma nresourcesandtraining/Modernisingworkforceplanninghome/Europeanworkingtimedirective/index.htm). There are concerns at all levels of the profession that doctors will not be adequately trained to function at the standard of a current NHS consultant. Doctors with the least experience make the most errors and familiarity with situations and equipment is directly related to competency.

scholarly journals Weekly working hours for Norwegian hospital doctors since 1994 with special attention to postgraduate training, work–home balance and the European Working Time Directive: a panel study

BMJ Open ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (10) ◽  
pp. e005704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Rosta ◽  
Olaf G Aasland
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Postgraduate Training ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Working Time ◽  
European Working Time Directive ◽  
Junior Doctors ◽  
European Working ◽  
Hospital Doctors ◽  
Working Time Directive

ObjectivesTo examine the weekly working hours of Norwegian hospital doctors from 1994 to 2012 with special emphasis on the quality of postgraduate training and work–home balance, and in relation to the requirements of the European Working Time Directive (EWTD).DesignPanel study based on postal questionnaires.SettingNorway.ParticipantsUnbalanced cohort of 1300–1600 doctors in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012.Outcome measuresSelf-reported total weekly working hours and whether 45 weekly working hours are too short, sufficient, or too long to meet the quality requirements of obligatory postgraduate training for junior doctors.ResultsFrom 1994 to 2012, the number of weekly working hours was stable for senior (46–47 h) and junior (45–46 h) hospital doctors. In 2012, significantly more senior (27–35%) than junior (11–20%) doctors reported suboptimal work–home balance, defined as working more than 48 h a week. The majority perceived the present situation with an average of 45 h per week for juniors as sufficient for obligatory postgraduate specialist training, but doctors of higher age (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.08), senior doctors (1.07, 1.04 to 1.11) and doctors working in surgical specialties (OR 1 vs laboratory medicine 0.03, 0.01 to 0.25, internal medicine 0.31, 0.17 to 0.58, psychiatry 0.12, 0.04 to 0.36, paediatrics 0.36, 0.12 to 1.07, anaesthesiology 0.08, 0.02 to 0.39, gynaecology 0.07, 0.01 to 0.56 and others 0.39, 0.04 to 3.56) were more likely to want the work-week to be longer.ConclusionsThe weekly working hours of Norwegian hospital doctors were always below the EWTD requirements. A significant growth of hospital doctor density over the past two decades, national regulations and cultural values might be important factors. Specialty differences in perception of sufficient training time may call for more flexibility in working time regulations.

Changes in working patterns hit emergency general surgical training

2008 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 60-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Kara ◽  
PV Patil ◽  
SM Shimi
Keyword(s):  
Surgical Training ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Working Time ◽  
European Working Time Directive ◽  
Confidential Enquiry ◽  
Surgical Trainees ◽  
European Working ◽  
Level Of Experience ◽  
Working Time Directive

The last decade has seen major changes in the working pattern of surgical trainees. This commenced with the introduction of the maximum 72-hour working week in 1991. The European Working Time Directive reduced the working hours to a maximum of 56 hours, with the intention to reduce it further to 48 hours by 2009. This is additionally affected by compliance with the SiMAP and Jaeger Rulings. The results of the Calman report coupled with those of the Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Deaths (CEPOD) report have also had a significant effect on the amount and level of experience obtained during surgical training.

scholarly journals Constructive chaos and training in the NHS

2007 ◽  
Vol 89 (3) ◽  
pp. 85-85
Author(s):  
Brian Avery
Keyword(s):  
Detrimental Effect ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Working Time ◽  
Good Thing ◽  
European Working Time Directive ◽  
European Working ◽  
Working Time Directive ◽  
And Training

Constructive chaos is newly coined political jargon used to justify present upheaval for future benefit. Within the NHS we have seen upheaval with a detrimental effect on training in dentistry and surgery. What has been going on? First there was the intrusion of the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) into the NHS. By and large, this directive is a good thing because it will restrict the working hours of doctors in hospitals to 56 hours per week by 2007 and 48 hours by 2009.

scholarly journals Surgeon or Assistant? Assessing Trainee Progress from Log Book Activity: A 15-year Analysis

2012 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
JS Logan ◽  
T Sinnett ◽  
M Solan
Keyword(s):  
Royal College ◽  
Working Party ◽  
Working Time ◽  
European Working Time Directive ◽  
Junior Doctors ◽  
European Working ◽  
Working Time Directive

The European Working Time Directive (EWTD) became law for junior doctors in August 2004. It reduced the working week to a maximum of 58 hours. In 2007 the working week was reduced further to 56 hours and to 48 hours in 2009. In a survey conducted by the Royal College of Surgeons EWTD working party in 2004–2005, 82% of senior house officers (SHOs) felt that their theatre time had decreased.

EWTD compliance – towards 2009

2006 ◽  
Vol 88 (8) ◽  
pp. 262-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Lowry ◽  
Jo Cripps
Keyword(s):  
Health Authority ◽  
Junior Doctor ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Working Time ◽  
European Working Time Directive ◽  
European Working ◽  
Working Time Directive

By 2009 doctors in training will have to reduce their working hours to 48 per week. One strategic health authority estimates that they will lose 8,000 junior doctor hours per week. How will the service manage? What effects will the reduction in hours have on training? This article gives an overview of current developments in negotiations on the European Working Time Directive (ETWD) and urges readers to start planning for 2009 implementation now. The newly launched College web area on the EWTD (http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/service_delivery/ewtd/) provides more information and updates.

scholarly journals EWTD: maintaining the pressure

2009 ◽  
Vol 91 (8) ◽  
pp. 258-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Black
Keyword(s):  
Medical Association ◽  
Working Time ◽  
European Working Time Directive ◽  
News Item ◽  
Junior Doctors ◽  
Public Concern ◽  
European Working ◽  
Working Time Directive ◽  
First Time ◽  
Radio Programme

The ill-judged introduction of the 48-hour week demanded by the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) was the first news item on every television and radio programme on Saturday 1 August, indicating just how successful the College has been in raising public concern. It was encouraging that the British Medical Association (BMA) speakers were for the first time expressing serious anxiety, largely about the effects on training and about pressure being put on junior doctors to falsify their hours returns. All conversions to the cause are welcome, however late in the day. It is disappointing that the BMA is not yet stressing the dangers to patients, which they are surely hearing about from their members working in the acute specialties.

scholarly journals Maximizing time from the constraining European Working Time Directive (EWTD): The Heidelberg New Working Time Model

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Schimmack ◽  
Ulf Hinz ◽  
Andreas Wagner ◽  
Thomas Schmidt ◽  
Hendrik Strothmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Time ◽  
European Working Time Directive ◽  
Time Model ◽  
European Working ◽  
Working Time Model ◽  
Working Time Directive

Optimizing training opportunities for otolaryngology senior house officers: an audit

2006 ◽  
Vol 120 (7) ◽  
pp. 583-586 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Wasson ◽  
N Jacobsen ◽  
D Bowdler ◽  
C Hopkins
Keyword(s):  
Working Time ◽  
European Working Time Directive ◽  
Medical Careers ◽  
Surgeon Training ◽  
European Working ◽  
Cent Case ◽  
Audit Cycle ◽  
Working Time Directive ◽  
Training Opportunities ◽  
Made In

Implementation of the European Working Time Directive and the Modernising Medical Careers initiative will mean junior surgeons must be trained in fewer hours over a shorter period. For this reason, junior surgeon training opportunities must be optimized. We undertook a departmental audit to identify where opportunities to train senior house officers (SHOs) in theatre were being lost, so that appropriate timetable changes could be made in order to optimize exposure to suitable surgical cases. During the first audit cycle, the SHOs followed their existing timetable and theatre attendance was monitored prospectively over a two-week period. Only 30 per cent of theatre sessions were attended and case participation was only 27 per cent. Simple timetable changes were made to maximize SHO theatre attendance, and a second prospective two-week audit was undertaken. The new rota yielded 46 per cent theatre attendance and 48 per cent case participation.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document