Senior Doctors Take Initiative on Hours of Work

ATTENTION: HEALTH REPORTER

MEDIA STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE,
WEDNESDAY 5 OCTOBER 2005

“Senior Doctors Take Initiative on Hours of Work”

“Senior doctors in district health boards have taken the initiative on hours of work which is expected to lead to a range of outcomes, particularly increased remuneration, increased staffing or reduced working hours ,” said Mr Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, today. Mr Powell was referring to the Association’s new employment advice publication, ASMS Standpoint, which has been sent to all its members and is available on its website www.asms.org.nz.

“The senior doctors’ national collective agreement requires that they are to be paid for all the average hours that they actually and regularly work. It also recognises the professional standard that 30% of the time required for clinical duties should be recognised for non-clinical duties (and therefore paid accordingly).”

“Overwhelmingly senior doctors work well in excess of the hours they regularly have to work and are significantly devalued by failing to provide reasonable time for non-clinical duties. It is time to end this exploitation and disregard of professional standards that are essential for good quality patient care.”

“The means of overcoming this exploitation and disregarding of professional standards may be increased remuneration for senior doctors. But it also might involve overworked senior doctors reducing their hours of clinical work. A third response would be to employ more senior doctors.”

“Our practical advice in our new publication should greatly assist senior doctors achieving one or all of these outcomes,” concluded Mr Powell.

Ian Powell

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

ENDS

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