The annual survey of Specialist Medical Registrars reported that 16% of doctors had a road traffic accident when commuting to and from work in 2004-5. According to the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), junior doctors in England can often be exhausted from working seven night shifts in a row. Despite efforts to reduce the long hours worked by junior doctors, the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) has not been able to ensure that doctors do not suffer from poorly designed rotas.
The RCP have released a new report "Designing safer rotas for junior doctors in the 48-hour week", which recommends that a three-nine-hour shift rota pattern is the safest way to provide 24-hour cover. The NHS National Workforce Projects have commissioned a pilot study of this new work pattern.
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