Health: Doctors

House of Lords written question – answered at on 4 March 2010.

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Photo of Lord Taylor of Warwick Lord Taylor of Warwick Conservative

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the likely impact on the number of doctors available to the National Health Service resulting from the European working time directive.

Photo of Baroness Thornton Baroness Thornton Government Whip, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health

The great majority of the National Health Service is compliant with the European working time directive (EWTD). Only a small number of services have continued support through agreed derogation to implement their plans effectively by 2011.

Reducing doctors' hours to 48 or fewer will have a significant impact on their health and well-being. The EWTD is health and safety legislation. There is strong evidence that tired doctors make mistakes and therefore reducing working hours to 48 will improve patient safety.

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