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Should doctors work at the weekend?

Should doctors work at the weekend?  

86 members have voted

  1. 1. Should doctors work at the weekend?

    • Yes
      77
    • No
      9


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Doctors are being told that they must work weekends to give us a 24/7 NHS. Why should patients have to wait because doctors want to work 9 to 5?

 

http://news.sky.com/story/1519716/doctors-to-be-told-get-real-on-weekend-work

A Monday to Friday culture in the NHS is causing patient deaths, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has argued as he defended plans to make hospital consultants work at weekends.

 

Speaking on Sky News, Mr Hunt denied accusations by the British Medical Association that the move represented a "wholesale attack on doctors" and said the current system was "incredibly inefficient".

 

He is to issue an ultimatum to the BMA to reform doctors' contracts or face having changes imposed by the Government.

 

Currently, doctors can opt out of non-emergency work at evenings and weekends, something the Government wants to end.

 

In a speech later, he will suggest 6,000 patients die needlessly every year because of a lack of a seven-day service.

 

Defending the plans, Mr Hunt told Sky News: "This a problem that dates back to 2003 when the then government made the decision to give consultants the right to opt out of working at weekends.

 

"Something nurses don't have, that paramedics, ambulance drivers don't have, indeed no one else in any emergency service has.

 

"The result is a Monday to Friday culture in many parts of the NHS. that mean if you are admitted on a Sunday you have a 15% higher chance of dying than if you are admitted on a Wednesday.

 

"I have yet to meet a doctor who thinks that's acceptable."

 

He also rejected claims there were not enough staff to deliver the plans.

 

Mr Hunt said: "We have got nearly 10,000 more doctors in the NHS compared to five years ago. So we are recruiting more doctors to the NHS.

 

"But it's incredibly inefficient to have a service that cranks up on a Monday morning and starts to wind down after lunch on a Friday.

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I have been in different hospitals several times and it always amazes me how the hospitals dumb down at weekends. It's madness........... nurses still have to work so doctors etc should too.

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Doctors are being told that they must work weekends to give us a 24/7 NHS. Why should patients have to wait because doctors want to work 9 to 5?

 

http://news.sky.com/story/1519716/doctors-to-be-told-get-real-on-weekend-work

 

Should YOU have to work 7 days a week?

 

If not, then why should Drs feel any different about it?

 

If you aren't imaging some sort of forced labour for doctors, then how do you propose to fund the 40% increase in numbers that will be needed? And square that with there being a retirement timebomb about to go off.

 

And are you thinking about just GPs (where evidence shows that weekend services are actually under utitlised), or all Drs, the kind that work in the hospital, where there is already a weekend service of course, just not to the same level as the working week?

 

---------- Post added 16-07-2015 at 11:21 ----------

 

I have been in different hospitals several times and it always amazes me how the hospitals dumb down at weekends. It's madness........... nurses still have to work so doctors etc should too.

 

I don't mean to be dismissive, but do you imagine that "several times" is sufficient for you to have really seen what happens?

 

---------- Post added 16-07-2015 at 11:22 ----------

 

The poll at the top tells me two things. The government are running an excellent spin campaign and that a lot of people aren't interested or clever enough to see it for what it is.

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Should YOU have to work 7 days a week?

 

If not, then why should Drs feel any different about it?

 

If you aren't imaging some sort of forced labour for doctors, then how do you propose to fund the 40% increase in numbers that will be needed? And square that with there being a retirement timebomb about to go off.

 

And are you thinking about just GPs (where evidence shows that weekend services are actually under utitlised), or all Drs, the kind that work in the hospital, where there is already a weekend service of course, just not to the same level as the working week?

 

---------- Post added 16-07-2015 at 11:21 ----------

 

 

I don't mean to be dismissive, but do you imagine that "several times" is sufficient for you to have really seen what happens?

 

---------- Post added 16-07-2015 at 11:22 ----------

 

The poll at the top tells me two things. The government are running an excellent spin campaign and that a lot of people aren't interested or clever enough to see it for what it is.

 

 

 

By several times, I mean 8 times with a minimum of two weeks stay each time, so yes I think that's sufficient.

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Should YOU have to work 7 days a week?

 

If not, then why should Drs feel any different about it?

 

On the other hand are you saying policemen, firemen, paramedics should also not work weekends.

 

What about teachers - they may not be in school, but there's a hell of a lot of weekend work.

 

Add on retail, pub trades etc etc

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Do you think that all those people work 7 days a week?

 

Or are you proposing that 40% more Drs be recruited from somewhere (and paid)?

 

Teachers, with there 13 weeks holiday a year, yeah, good laugh.

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Plenty of doctors work at the weekend where they are needed, obviously not as many as during the week because there isn't anywhere as near the amount of routine clinics, surgery etc going on at the weekend.

 

If we want to introduce things like routine clinics and and surgery at the weekend are we prepared to pay for the extra 40% increase in staffing costs?

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I'm just trying to find out what you think 7 day working means?

 

Imagine that there are more doctors working, I guess we mean in hospitals since GP services are under utilised at weekends. We then also need all the support staff to work as well.

Where is the money coming from to pay them? Or do you propose to reduce the number of week hours in order to just spread the service out?

 

Edit - not aimed at JFK

Edited by Cyclone

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Do you think that all those people work 7 days a week?

 

Or are you proposing that 40% more Drs be recruited from somewhere (and paid)?

Teachers, with there 13 weeks holiday a year, yeah, good laugh.

 

 

Teachers regularly go into their schools during holidays to prepare...... it doesn't magically get done on it's own. I know first hand because both my daughter and daughter in law are teachers.

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Nobody is asking doctors to work 7 days a week, but just to participate in rotas that provide 7 days a week cover, which considering people get ill 7 days a week, seems like a perfectly good idea to me.

 

Many professions have to cover 7 days a week, and it is an obligation that should simply be accepted as a matter of course in this case.

 

Whether we have enough doctors or enough finances to fulfill this obligation however, is another matter, but that is a problem for the politicians.

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I'll be sure to tell the various relatives who are teachers that they're unusual, whilst they take their long summer holiday sat in the garden.

If we're counting, it's 2 sister-in-laws and 2 aunties.

 

I do remember my sister in laws working quite hard for the first few years, maybe even 5. But since then it seems to have got a lot easier (ie they have stuff ready prepared from previous years I assume).

 

Anyway, it's not a good comparison or a competition. What is actually being proposed? Nobody seems to be able to explain what Drs working 7 days a week means... Perhaps because they've not really thought about it.

 

---------- Post added 16-07-2015 at 11:49 ----------

 

Nobody is asking doctors to work 7 days a week, but just to participate in rotas that provide 7 days a week cover, which considering people get ill 7 days a week, seems like a perfectly good idea to me.

So you either reduce the number working during the week, or recruit 40% more doctors and support staff, who all want paying.

 

Whether we have enough doctors or enough finances to fulfill this obligation however, is another matter, but that is a problem for the politicians.

 

It's a key issue that they should have solved before spinning the media a line.

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I'll be sure to tell the various relatives who are teachers that they're unusual, whilst they take their long summer holiday sat in the garden.

If we're counting, it's 2 sister-in-laws and 2 aunties.

 

I do remember my sister in laws working quite hard for the first few years, maybe even 5. But since then it seems to have got a lot easier (ie they have stuff ready prepared from previous years I assume).

 

Anyway, it's not a good comparison or a competition. What is actually being proposed? Nobody seems to be able to explain what Drs working 7 days a week means... Perhaps because they've not really thought about it.

 

---------- Post added 16-07-2015 at 11:49 ----------

 

So you either reduce the number working during the week, or recruit 40% more doctors and support staff, who all want paying.

 

It's a key issue that they should have solved before spinning the media a line.

 

 

As in every profession/job there are people who will put in that extra effort and others who don't. A lot of teachers are very dedicated people and it takes a lot of work preparing for 30 plus pupils in a class. They cannot just rely on previous work prepared as the curriculum is forever changing.

Edited by francypants

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