How to fix doctors’ rotas

Every junior doctor has an example of missing an important family event because of a rota clash. Unsociable shift patterns and long working hours are just part of the job, right? Senior staff members may point out that they had it just as bad, or maybe even worse, before the European Working Time Directive.

Earlier this year the #NHSMeToo campaign highlighted that inflexible rostering is causing many junior doctors to ask themselves whether they want to continue in medicine. Doctors shared stories of being unable to take time off to attend their own wedding. Or to have a honeymoon. Or being denied compassionate leave after miscarriage, stillbirth, or the dieath of a relative.

Many reports, including recommendations from the British Medical Association1 and Health Education England,2 outline how rotas for junior doctors should work—including the need for protected time for training and career development. But the stories from #NHSMeToo showed that some rota coordinators offer little flexibility or make swapping shifts so complicated that it might as well not be an option.