News

HSJ today reports that junior doctors are being encouraged to lie about their hours to make trusts appear compliant with the working time directive. The article, by Charlotte Santry, states:

"Out of 31,360 trainee doctors responding to a question by the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board, one in 10 whose hours were compliant on paper said they were being asked to lie."

The online version of the article has already attracted a number of readers' comments, including a suggestion by Chris McCullough of Rotageek that the individual opt-out "provides trusts and doctors an alternative to lying about hours". Dr Henry Carleton, Managing Director of Zircadian, responds:

"Unfortunately the use of the opt-out, as advocated by Chris McCullough, does not provide trusts with a solution to the problem of doctors lying about their hours of work. Trusts are legally obliged to demonstrate that any junior doctor post they recruit to works less than 48 hours. The decision to opt out of this limit rests with the doctor and not the employer so there is no guarantee that a doctor will go along with a trust's desire for them to work more hours. Equally, a doctor can choose to opt back in at any stage with minimal notice to the trust. Even if one doctor decides to opt out there is no guarantee that the next doctor will opt out as well.

Given these legal and practical obstacles it is very questionable how the opt-out will help a trust provide a sustainable and workable service. We must also not forget the findings of this article. If doctors are being forced to lie, and 43% of them have been subjected to bullying in the workplace, is it right for anyone to suggest the use of the opt-out as a solution to lying when its adoption by a doctor is so open to abuse itself?"

Read the article and responses