Letters to the Editor

We welcome your responses to articles published in Calling Time. If you have any comments on what’s in this issue, contact wtd@skillsforhealth.org.uk.

Dear Editor

I would like to comment on your article in issue 3 of Calling Time (page 14), on the York experience of an F1 rota advocating interspeciality co-operation - which was very helpful. I wonder, however, if York still feels that a week of nights is the best approach - if so the rationale behind it would be interesting. The work carried out by the Royal College of Physicians provides convincing evidence that long spells of nights like this brings increasing risks. I would have thought breaking up the week of nights (and consequently the following week off if necessary) would ameliorate this.

Yours faithfully
Dr Alison Hill
Interim lead workforce development (medical)
South East Coast SHA

Response from Dr Ann McEvoy, consultant in medicine for the elderly and WTD lead at York Hospitals and associate dean with Yorkshire Deanery

Our F1 doctors do not work night shifts. They work twilight shifts which means that their daytime presence is maximised for training and service.

In York we are trying to abolish weeks of nights and most of the rotas in York are now split into a pattern of four nights and three nights.

Indeed, with my Deanery hat on, in Yorkshire we believe that although the ninety hour week of a seven night block is not illegal, it is against the spirit of the WTD. We have advised trusts to move away from seven night blocks and trusts are gradually doing this as they change rotas.