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Careers

Nearly half of rotas don’t meet EWTD regulations

BMJ 2009; 339 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.b3724 (Published 16 September 2009) Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b3724

Nearly half of hospital doctors’ rotas may fail to comply with the new European Working Time Directive regulations implemented in August 2009, according to a survey carried out by RemedyUK.

The pressure group has received 309 completed replies to their survey in the past month, during which the European Working Time Directive was meant to enforce a 48 hour average working week. The survey was sent out by email and was available on doctors.net.uk. Of those doctors who replied, 47% reported that rotas were failing to comply with the regulations.

Richard Marks, one of RemedyUK’s spokesmen, admitted the sample size was relatively small. “We didn’t know whether to keep going or to call it a wrap,” he said. “We decided to call it a wrap because, even if those who replied are in a minority, they are a very vocal minority. But I completely accept that we might have been able to field a larger sample.”

The discrepancy between the survey results and the message from NHS Employers that compliance is widespread is because a number of rotas meet the target on paper, yet fail to do so in practice, says RemedyUK.

Individual responses were mainly from middle grade doctors. “They paint a picture of disillusion and demoralisation among doctors, and bullying and manipulation from management,” says the campaigning organisation.