§ Dr. Roger Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of junior hospital doctors work a one-in-two rota that approximates to working at least 84 hours every week; and if he will take action through health authorities to end such working conditions.
§ Dr. VaughanA doctor on a one-in-two rota would be contracted for 64 hours of on-call or stand-toy duty outside the basic 40 hour week. Of the whole time permanent staff in England and754W Wales 36 per cent. of senior registrars, 34 per cent. of registrars, 26 per cent. of senior house officers and 36 per cent. of house officers are contracted for at least this number of hours—including provision for covering the annual and study leave of colleagues, where appropriate. No recent information is available on the hours during which these doctors are actually working, but in most cases these will be significantly less.
I fully accept that such long contracted hours are undesirable and we have made a number of proposals to the profession for measures to reduce rota commitments, without lowering standards of patient care or worsening the career or financial prospects of junior doctors. These proposals are currently under discussion.