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19/06/14 09:34

Helping junior doctors

Package of measures to ease pressures.

The Scottish Government has today announced steps to reduce the pressures and long working hours experienced by junior doctors.

Health Secretary Alex Neil said that, while progress has been made, more had to be done to ensure the right work life balance was in place in NHS Scotland.

In a letter to health boards the Chief Executive of NHS Scotland outlined that the following new initiatives are being taken forward:

  • NHS boards will end the practice of rostering junior doctors for seven full night shifts in a row by February 2015. Currently only one per cent of rotas in Scotland schedule junior doctors to work seven full night shifts in a row.
  • NHS boards will simplify the working hours monitoring process. Best practice guidance on this exists and NHS boards will ensure that they meet these requirements.
  • NHS boards will review rotas with a view to reducing long stretches of days on duty. We expect that by 2016 no junior doctor will work more than seven day shifts in a row.
  • NHS boards will ensure that all staff have access to appropriate rest facilities.

Mr Neil said: “Scotland’s NHS must continue to attract world class staff so that it can provide truly world class services for patients.

“We have already increased the number of staff working within NHS Scotland and are now focusing on ensuring that they have the best possible working practices.

“I am quite clear that no junior doctors in Scotland should have to work seven nights in a row and I am committed to ending this practice where, on occasion, it does exist by February next year.

“While 99 per cent of rotas in NHS Scotland do not include a junior doctor working more than four nights in a row, we are committed to ensuring full, one hundred per cent compliance from health boards. We expect boards to observe not simply the letter, but also the spirit of the law.

“This is one of many measures we’ve been working on to support junior doctors and relieve some of the pressure they face. Since 2007, there are over 2000 more doctors working in Scotland’s NHS and junior doctors have been supported through the introduction of advanced nurse practitioners and additional support staff.

“However, we are committed to doing more and we’ll continue to work with NHS boards and professional bodies to review best practice and consider how this can be used to improve the work life balance of junior doctors.

“We will also be implementing an external assessment to ensure that these actions are being taken forward by NHS boards and that junior doctors see the improvements in their work-life balance that we all desire.”

These improvement actions were agreed following a meeting between the Health Secretary and BMA Scottish Junior Doctors Committee representatives.

Notes to editors

All junior doctor rotas prepared by NHS boards are submitted to the Scottish Government for final approval.

This has been matched by a 6.3 per cent increase in the number of junior doctors working in NHS Scotland since 2007, and a 30 per cent rise in the number of consultants.