Tired doctors a risk to patients

SLEEP-DEPRIVED junior doctors may be endangering their patients, a new report said yesterday.

The dangers of irregular shift-work on the health of junior doctors and their patients has been highlighted by the British Medical Association Scotland.

The report, Shift-work, Rest and Sleep: Minimising the Risks, calls for more rest breaks during night shifts and safer rotas for staff.

Compliance with the European Working Time Directive has resulted in a move away from 24-hour on-call shift patterns to a more regimented rota, the report said.

However this has also led to "considerable fatigue in the doctors who work those rotas".