Vol. 549 No. 2
94 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will make a statement on recent comments in a publication (detail supplied) that the lengthy implementation period allowed for the European work time directive means that it could take as long as 12 years before doctors have a 48 hour working week; and the steps he has taken to speed up the process in order that doctors will have a shorter working week in the health services. [6163/02]
The timetable for the implementation of the European Union Directive on Working Time – Council Directive 93/104/EC and 2000/34/EC – in so far as it affects NCHDs, is that in 2004, the average working hours per week will be reduced to 58. By 2007 there will be a further reduction of two hours per week to 56. By 2009 the average hours worked by NCHDs will be reduced to 48. This means that the implementation period will last eight years rather than 12. As part of the process of preparing for the implementation of the EU directive, a major study of non-consultant hospital doctors' working hours was carried out in a representative number of hospitals in association with the Irish Medical Organisation. The study was called The Report of the National Joint Steering Group on the Working Hours of Non Consultant Hospital Doctors, also known as the Hanly report. It shows that junior doctors currently work, on average, 75 hours per week. The Hanly report made a number of recommendations which would change the internal staffing structures and the way in which services are delivered in hospitals. These recommendations include an increase in the number of consultants to create a consultant provided service rather than a substantial increase in the number of NCHD posts. More flexible working arrangements and an extension of shift working where appropriate are also recommended by the Hanly report. Changed work practices are needed to eliminate the 17% of NCHD time which the Hanly report estimated is, on average, allocated to inappropriate work.
