MSP gives backing to fatigue campaign
NICOLA FINDLAY
Labour MSP Monica Lennon is backing a campaign aimed at raising awareness of fatigue among healthcare staff.
The Central Scotland MSP and Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport is supporting the national Fight Fatigue campaign.
A joint initiative of the Association of Anaesthetists (AoA), the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, the campaign was launched in response to the tragic death of a trainee anaesthetist in England who died while driving home tired after a night shift.
But it also follows the tragic death of Dr Lauren Connelly from East Kilbride in 2011. The 23-year-old junior doctor was killed after her car veered off the M8 motorway as she drove home from a 12-hour night-shift.
She had been seven weeks into her medical training at the time and her father, Brian Connelly, said his daughter frequently worked exhausting 100-hour weeks and shift patterns of 12 consecutive days.
New rules guaranteeing trainee medics a minimum rest period of 46 hours following a string of nightshifts are due to come into force this month.
Ms Lennon said: “Scottish Labour will always support our health and social care staff to ensure they get the working conditions they deserve and the work-life balance they need.
“I support the Fight Fatigue Campaign as I believe we need to protect our NHS staff from the effects of sleep deprivation – educating about the risks and mitigating the effects.
“Sleep is a key part of maintaining our health and wellbeing and collectively we must ensure everyone understands the risk of fatigue and make changes to improve working conditions.”
AoA president, Dr Kathleen Ferguson, said: “I’m delighted Ms Lennon is officially supporting our campaign and we look forward to working with her.
“As momentum for our campaign grows, we also have support from politicians across the political spectrum at Westminster and the devolved bodies.”