JUNIOR doctors are being asked to lie about their working hours to meet new European rules, research out today has suggested.
A survey of 31,360 junior doctors who were compliant “on paper” with new limits on their working week, found that one in 10 had been asked to submit that data even though the hours they worked were actually longer.
Of the 3,938 junior doctors who said their hours were not compliant “on paper”, 17% said they had been asked to submit hours that showed they were in line with the new rules.
The new European Working Time Directive (EWTD), which fully comes into force on August 1 this year, limits the number of hours junior doctors can work each week to 48.
Richard Marks, a consultant who is also head of policy at the campaign group Remedy UK, said the findings were interesting and should not be ignored.
But he said his own experience of talking to junior doctors had revealed that many wanted to work more than the 48 hours they were allowed to ensure good patient care and maximise their training.
He said: “I’ve been asking lots of trainees about this question.
“It’s true that they are being economical with the truth, but it’s because they think reduced hours, in line with the EWTD, is bad for patient care and it’s also bad for their training. They want things to stay as they are – they want good training and exposure.”
The survey results were published in the Health Service Journal (HSJ).
Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb said: “This demonstrates just how ludicrous the imposition of these rules are on the NHS. Doctors have been warning for months about the chaos that will happen in the summer when the rules are applied.
“The Government must take its head out of the sand and recognise the damage that will be done to patient care if it insists on imposing these working hour restrictions.
“It is vital that we don’t see another repeat of the farce that engulfed the recruitment of junior doctors two years ago.”
Dr Andy Thornley, chairman of the British Medical Association’s Junior Doctor Committee, said: “The claims that one in 10 junior doctors are told to lie about their working hours is deeply worrying.”
The poll also found 9% of trainees felt they were being bullied at work. Of these, 3% said the bullying came from managers, 43% said from consultants and 13% attributed it to “the whole culture at work”.
Workloads had improved from 37 to 51, on a scale of one to 100, where 100 is the most balanced workload possible.
The poll was carried out for the Post-graduate Medical Education and Training Board.
