A broken promise to grieving family of exhausted doctor
‘Nothing short of a betrayal’
A PROMISE to grieving parents to cut junior doctors’ hours after the death of their daughter has been abandoned by the SNP. Health Secretary Shona Robison had promised to stop junior doctors working more than 48 hours a week.
The vow was made following the death in 2011 of Lauren Connelly, 23, after working 100-hour weeks.
Now Miss Robison has written to Miss Connelly’s parents, saying she cannot honour the promise.
She said: ‘My officials have met with BMA Scotland Junior Doctors Committee (SJDC). We have asked the BMA for their views on 48 hours in any one week. The BMA have stressed that this is unlikely to be achievable given the need to maintain a good standard of training for doctors and a safe service for patients and it is not a priority for their members.
‘Given that a maximum 48-hour working week is not supported by the SJDC, we believe it is appropriate we continue to work with junior doctors to identify alternative ways to tackle your main concern of the peaks in hours.’
Dr Connelly, who lived with her parents in East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, died after her car crashed on her way home from night shift.
Her father Brian has since exposed the long hours she worked at Inverclyde Royal Hospital in Greenock, Renfrewshire, including 12-day stretches.
Last year, after meeting Dr Connelly’s family, Miss Robison said she believed working time could be cut so trainees did not work more than 48 hours in any week.
But it has now emerged the promise has been abandoned.
The BMA believes it would be unachievable to reduce hours and plan hospital rotas that allow for teaching time, holidays and leave. There are already vacancies in rotas across Scotland.
The European Working Time Directive limits junior doctors’ hours to 48 a week – but health boards can average the number of hours worked over six months. This means staff can still have to work more than 100 hours between days off.
Mr Connelly wants this changed so boards can no longer use averages and have to limit junior doctors’ hours each week.
He said: ‘How many more junior doctors have to die or have accidents before the Government acts decisively to reduce the number of hours they work? I have been in discussion with the Scottish Government on this issue for the last few years and I had a commitment from Shona Robison.
‘She is now withdrawing from that commitment. My understanding is that the BMA believe the 48-hour week would be difficult to achieve.
‘The excessive hours junior doctors work is not good for them or their patients. Being exhausted is detrimental to their health and puts them in danger, especially when driving after long shifts.’
Scottish Labour health spokes- man Anas Sarwar said: ‘This is nothing short of a betrayal of junior doctors.
‘The SNP cannot keep the promises it made to our doctors because a decade of Nationalist government has created a staffing crisis in our hospitals.
‘Our hospitals do not have enough doctors because of a longterm failure of the SNP to plan effectively. Junior doctors working unacceptably long hours is a huge risk to themselves and patients.
‘This was a promise the Government made in the aftermath of a tragedy. Trying to wriggle out of that promise is completely unacceptable.
‘Shona Robison must explain these measures to parliament as a matter of urgency.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘All junior doctor rotas in Scotland are monitored on a regular basis and comply fully with the Working Time Regulations, which include an average working week of 48 hours or less.
‘We continue to support NHS boards in ensuring rotas are well designed. We recently lowered the maximum consecutive night shifts on a rota from seven to five.’