NHS boards cast doubts over junior doctors' hours target

Published on Wednesday 29 July 2009 21:58

IT REMAINS unclear whether all hospitals in Scotland will hit a target to reduce working hours of junior doctors when it comes into force in just a few days.

The European Working Time Directive (EWTD), which limits working hours to an average of 48 a week, will apply to junior doctors from Saturday.

Many health boards in Scotland said they expected to be fully compliant with the target by the start of next month. But others said they expected to fall short of all juniors being on the correct rotas, or could not say when the target would be met.

The Scottish Government expects 94 per cent of doctors in NHS Scotland to be compliant by the start of August.

The EWTD will mean that over a period of 26 weeks, doctors should not work more than an average of 48 hours a week.

The regulations mean that if an employee complains about their working hours, the Health and Safety Executive can investigate and issue warnings or prosecute employers if the limit is breached.

Information collected by The Scotsman shows that many boards, including NHS Borders, Dumfries and Galloway and Western Isles are already 100 per cent compliant with the target.

Others, such as Grampian, Forth Valley, Fife and Lanarkshire said they expected to hit the target by the start of August.

Tayside expected to reach 96 per cent, while Greater Glasgow and Clyde was 98 per cent.