Should doctors work at the weekend?

[Cyclone]

This post from a Medical Registrar is aimed straight at the ignorant 94% who voted without thinking about the issue. I can't quote it as it's a bit sweary.

 

https://www.facebook.com/medicalreg/posts/10153165979353842?fref=nf

 

---------- Post added 20-07-2015 at 22:11 ----------

 

Perhaps what we should change is our idea of how work or labour is perceived in our society. Doctors is the best example of this. Firemen is another. Aren't firemen available 24/7? aren't firemen also? well, perhaps, medical care personel should take a leaf from their books. Those occupations are perceived as a duty, not as work. Should we all make a society of duty?

 

Do you imagine that hospitals are empty at weekends? Do you think you have to wait until Monday morning for an ambulance.

 

I despair about the huge amount of ignorance demonstrated on this thread. The conservatives will use your ignorance to privatise the NHS. And when you can't afford to pay for the care you need, it'll be too late.

[taxman]

Perhaps what we should change is our idea of how work or labour is perceived in our society. Doctors is the best example of this. Firemen is another. Aren't firemen available 24/7? aren't firemen also? well, perhaps, medical care personel should take a leaf from their books. Those occupations are perceived as a duty, not as work. Should we all make a society of duty?

 

Doctors are in work. Jeremy Hunt is looking forward to a big holiday.

[SportsTrophy]

I have seen councillors do a surgery on a weekend but that doesn't equate to a full shift in a hospital. Maybe MPs should walk the walk before talking the talk

[Longy67]

When I'm talking about a 40% extra workload, I'm talking about the costs to the NHS. If you also take the weekend pay enhancements into consideration, the extra 40% workload will end up costing even more.

 

Also, any lack of cover at the weekends and night, will be due to the hospitals cutting back on their expenses and not funding the cover. This shouldn't be mixed up with the 7 day NHS working week proposal.

 

But they want to get rid of these enhancements for us, make the 7 day working week just a normal one, no extra pay for the weekends/nights...

[Cyclone]

It's a question of extra pay. If you want the same number of people to cover 40% more work then you'll have to expect less cover Mon-Fri... Or hire 40% more people.

[Eric Arthur]

This post from a Medical Registrar is aimed straight at the ignorant 94% who voted without thinking about the issue. I can't quote it as it's a bit sweary.

 

https://www.facebook.com/medicalreg/posts/10153165979353842?fref=nf

That registrar will be fine once they have qualified as a real doctor and settled into their 9-4 Monday to Friday routine. In the meantime we'll just have to put up with them moaning about how awful it is that they have to work like normal people to get paid £40k while still being a student.

 

[wrinkly67]

Just a thought. I've experienced family members being extremely ill and rushed to A & E on a Sunday morning.

EVERY time the A & E waiting department has been full to capacity.

The guidelines for needing A & E are

[*]persistent severe chest pains

[*]breathing difficulties

[*]severe bleeding that cannot be stopped

[*]loss of consciousness

[*]acute confused state & fits that are not stopping

 

Now I am a firm believer in not judging a book by its cover and I have no medical knowledge BUT many of these people waiting can be seen happily chatting, reading, eating their bag of crisps and having a drink. Children are often running around happily. It would appear that many of these people could have waited to see their GP.

So, why are these people here?

 

A recent NHS survey suggests that 40% who attend A & E are discharged without requiring treatment.

Are we overloading A & E with minor complaints just because its there and readily available when our GP is not? Is it because of difficulty getting appointments with our GP?

 

If these people did only need to see their GP, then perhaps that is the first port of call for remedy - i.e. more available hours for appointments.

This would then free up many wasted hours for staff in A & E who could then give that time to the really ill.

[Daven]

]That registrar will be fine once they have qualified as a real doctor [/b]and settled into their 9-4 Monday to Friday routine. In the meantime we'll just have to put up with them moaning about how awful it is that they have to work like normal people to get paid £40k while still being a student.

 

 

A medical registrar IS a qualified doctor !

A Registrar is just one step upwards to becoming a Consultant with very many years of experience behind him in all areas of medicine.

You really need to wind your neck in and do more research before posting such heffer dust.

Regards

 

---------- Post added 21-07-2015 at 10:21 ----------

 

Just a thought. I've experienced family members being extremely ill and rushed to A & E on a Sunday morning.

EVERY time the A & E waiting department has been full to capacity.

The guidelines for needing A & E are

[*]persistent severe chest pains

[*]breathing difficulties

[*]severe bleeding that cannot be stopped

[*]loss of consciousness

[*]acute confused state & fits that are not stopping

 

Now I am a firm believer in not judging a book by its cover and I have no medical knowledge BUT many of these people waiting can be seen happily chatting, reading, eating their bag of crisps and having a drink. Children are often running around happily. It would appear that many of these people could have waited to see their GP.

So, why are these people here?

 

A recent NHS survey suggests that 40% who attend A & E are discharged without requiring treatment.

Are we overloading A & E with minor complaints just because its there and readily available when our GP is not? Is it because of difficulty getting appointments with our GP?

 

If these people did only need to see their GP, then perhaps that is the first port of call for remedy - i.e. more available hours for appointments.

This would then free up many wasted hours for staff in A & E who could then give that time to the really ill.

 

This is the issue I think - the unavailability of GP appointments.

Until GP's start working longer hours for the huge amounts of money they get paid nothing will change.

Primary care is the weakest link in the NHS without a shadow of a doubt.

 

---------- Post added 21-07-2015 at 10:22 ----------

 

It's a question of extra pay. If you want the same number of people to cover 40% more work then you'll have to expect less cover Mon-Fri... Or hire 40% more people.

 

EXACTLY !

I'm unsure why people can't grasp this

[Eric Arthur]

A medical registrar IS a qualified doctor !

 

You know full well that a registrar isn't qualified as a real doctor because despite the mysterious fancy title they are just a student doctor under full supervision of their trainer.

 

Until that reg' is qualified with a bit of wool on their back we can take anything that they say with a pinch of salt. In the meantime I'll choose a proper doctor who's fully qualified.

 

 

 

 

Mind you, you're bang on about GP appointment times being the core issue.

 

The 40% is a straw man though. Increasing the utility of property and equipment over 7 days instead of 5 is as much of a gain as spreading the existing amount of staff over the 7 days too.

 

It's ridiculous to keep spending money on more facilities when the existing ones are chronically underused. 40% underused as it happens.

 

Work the current staff over 7 days and you have an instant increase in the return on the investment, not a 40% increase in cost.

[Jeffrey Shaw]

OK; doctors needn't work at the weekend- BUT only if nobody falls ill or needs their involvement at the weekend. And people do need them at all sorts of inconvenient times. Unless the patient happens to be on the same golf course as the doctors, the latter- or at least some of them- therefore need to be available around A&E etc. so as to treat the former