Bill to cut hours of U.K. junior doctors

Press, 20 December 1988, Page 40

Bill to cut hours of U.K. junior doctors

NZPA-PA London A Labour peer, who is a general practitioner has successfully introduced a bill to limit the hours worked by British junior doctors.

Lord Rea hopes to bring an end to the notorious week-end shift — he called it a “form of torture" — where junior doctors are on duty from Friday morning through until Monday evening. The bill — backed by the British Medical Association (8.M.A.) — was given a first reading. It seeks to impose a statutory maximum of 60 hours a week. “I think it is a matter that will get a lot of sympathy,” Lord Rea said.

“The hours are manifestly too great at the moment. But of course the Government can stop a

private member's bill like this at any stage.” The Government had its own programme to reduce hours for junior doctors but was not moving fast enough, he said. Recalling his own experiences as a junior doctor, Lord Rea said: “I used to work every other night and every other day while doing a full day’s work and that lasted for two years. “I felt like a limp rag, almost other-worldly. A lot of the time I was in a daze.”

The situation had improved since then to some extent, he said, but many specialities were still under great pressure, for example pediatrics.

“The doctor is very likely to have a night on call when he can get very little useful sleep. If he is

lucky, he will get two to three hours sleep and then be woken for 10 to 15 minutes for jobs throughout the night. It’s a form of torture.

“Tests have shown that doctors doing these weekend shifts cannot cope properly with routine tasks like checking V.D.U. screens or adjusting drips. Such tasks are increasingly important as technology advances. “It’s generally acknowledged that doctors can cope with something dramatic because the surge of adrenalin carries them through but a mistake on a routine task can have serious consequences.” The Government is trying to reduce hospital hours to an average of between 82 and 83 hours a week.