Surgeons have revealed that laws introduced to improve their working lives and patient safety have "failed spectacularly".

A survey from the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) has shown that patients in NHS hospitals are far more at risk following the measures and the issue is getting worse.

The publishing of the findings coincided with the first anniversary of the implementation of the European Working Time Regulations (EWTR), which prevents doctors from working more than 48 hours a week.

The survey of 980 surgeons and surgical trainees covered all nine surgical specialities and all Strategic Health Authorities in England as well as surgeons based in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, and compared responses to a similar survey undertaken last year.

It revealed that 80% of consultant surgeons and two thirds of surgical trainees (66%) say that patient care deteriorated under the directive. This compares with 72% of consultants and 59% of trainees consulted in October 2009.

Two thirds of trainees (65%) say their training time decreased - a quarter more than in October 2009 (41%). More than a quarter of senior surgeons are no longer able to be involved in all of the key stages of a patient`s care (18% in October 2009).

Two thirds of trainees reported a decline in training time in the operating theatre and 61% of consultants report that they are operating without trainee assistance more frequently since the EWTR was introduced. The RCS said the survey paints a picture of an NHS that, one year on, "is still totally overstretched due to an arbitrary hours regulation".

Copyright ⌐ Press Association 2010

One in four employees are putting their health at risk by regularly not taking a break, according to a new report.

The survey of 2,600 adults by The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) said they regularly worked through their breaks because there was too much work to do or too few staff to cover the workload.

But the CSP warned that working long hours or while ill or stressed was a "serious risk" to the health of employees and could lead to huge costs for their employers.

Launching a campaign aimed at changing working and exercise habits, the CSP warned people they risked problems including back pain, obesity, cancer, depression and heart disease.

Over half of those questioned said they struggled into work when they felt stressed or ill.

Phil Gray, the society`s chief executive, said: "Physiotherapists are concerned that overworking and not taking breaks is actually costing employers and their staff.

"Employees pay the price with their health and there is a cost to employers in reduced productivity and performance. Work is good for us and can contribute to physical and mental well-being, but not when overworking means people don`t have the time or energy to look after their own health or when staff are at work but are not fit for work.

"With advice and support from physiotherapists and other occupational health experts, employers can create healthier work environments and benefit not only society but also their profit margin."

Copyright ⌐ Press Association 2010

The NHS is "too reliant" on junior doctors to provide out-of-hours care for patients, and the medics are missing out on vital training as a result, a scathing report has warned.

Too many trainees are left unsupervised on wards overnight, while the NHS also relies on them to work weekends, the Government-ordered review stated. Trainees are forced to work out-of-hours shifts as some older consultants are reluctant to work later hours and like to stick to a standard week, the review`s author Professor Sir John Temple said.

The European Working Time Directive (EWTD) cut the maximum number of hours doctors could work in a week to 48 and the impact of this on medical training was examined by Sir John. He said trainees could still receive high-quality training, but not if they continue to be so vital to providing out-of-hours care.

Trainees also suffer from being poorly supervised, and their chances for learning during the day are reduced because they have to fill gaps in rotas, he said.

In a study critical of the way consultants organise their workloads, Sir John said the service would need to be redesigned so consultants work more flexibly and are more "directly responsible" for patient care around the clock.

Such "consultant-delivered care" actually cuts costs in the long term due to shorter patient stays in hospital, better decision-making, better diagnosis and increased safety, he said.

He added that "a number of people will never want to change what they are doing" but they tended to be older and would retire."

Copyright ⌐ Press Association 2010

Lives are being lost due to an EU ruling to cut doctors` working hours, a survey by the Royal College of Surgeons has claimed.

The 48-hour working week limit has left hospitals stretched, the survey added, forcing doctors to break rules in a bid to maintain levels of care. Some two-thirds of the 800 surgeons polled added that they believed quality of care was worse after the directive.

When the rules were launched in August, the Government claimed that they would not compromise patient safety, but experts have now claimed that the public were ill-informed.

John Black, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said: "We now have the ridiculous situation where the Department of Health in public moralises over fears that trainees are being coerced into working over 48 hours while privately relying on these doctors to stay longer or cover additional dead-end shifts as locums because there is no way the service could keep running otherwise."

More than 100 hospital rotas have applied to break the legislation because they are so stretched, according to the Royal College of Surgeons.

The Department of Health said: "Hospitals such as the Homerton in London, who have been working a 48-hour week for over two years, have produced evidence that shows the change has decreased hospital mortality. There is no evidence of harm being caused to patients."

Copyright ⌐ Press Association 2009