At a time when skills shortages already exist, two thirds of junior doctors agreed the restriction introduced last August has had a detrimental effect on training, and claims ‘in 10-15 years' time, the NHS will find itself with a generation of surgeons who can't operate'.
The study of 500 junior doctors carried out by healthcare staffing provider, Pulse and medeConnect, the research arm of Doctors.net.uk, set out to explore the impact of the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) on junior doctor career progression.
It found more than three quarters of junior doctors believed the implementation of the working time directive has resulted in trends towards ‘poorly managed rotas', ‘insufficient cover on wards' and a ‘lack of training opportunities'.
It also found 16% agreed the directive had resulted in an increase in study time available, less than a third said it has reduced levels of fatigue for junior doctors and almost half of those who said that the 48 hour week restriction has been detrimental to the quality of their training indicated no one checks that they don't exceed their legal working hours' limit.
Kate Harris, spokeswoman for Pulse, said: "It is a travesty that we find ourselves in this situation. At a time when skills shortages already exist, we should be doing everything possible to up skill our doctors, not hinder their career progression. A more creative approach to workforce management will allow doctors to gain the balance of skills they need. Planned temporary cover is one way of addressing the rota gap issue so that, for example, doctors don't get caught up covering for colleagues and can spend valuable time in the operating theatre shadowing consultants."
