Cork-based doctor says long working hours in hospitals is affecting quality of patient care 

A CORK-based doctor has said the quality of patient care is being badly affected by “excessive long hours” being worked in hospitals.

It comes as a report by the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) found that 83% of non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs) “routinely” work what it described are “unsafe and illegal hours” and that 77% of NCHDs report being “pressurised” by their employer into working extra shifts.

A Cork-based member of the IMO’s NCHD committee, Dr Aidan Coffey, said he felt it was fair to say lives were being put at risk by the excessive hours being worked by doctors.

Patient care 

“Doctors working excessive long hours don’t perform as well as doctors working shorter and safer hours, and I think there is undoubtedly a knock-on effect on patient care,” he said.

Dr Coffey, a radiologist with seven years’ experience, works at both the Cork University Hospital and the Mercy University Hospital. He said that the hours worked by doctors and insufficient rest times were acting as a “push factor” affecting the recruitment and retention of hospital medics.

“Working conditions for doctors are a common cause for concern, and many doctors would cite them as a reason for deciding to stay abroad rather than come home and settle down in Ireland."

He added that three-quarters of NCHDs reported feeling disrespected by their employers, which he said is “very disappointing”, with nearly 90% of people querying their salary or querying underpayments, and he said that this suggests a culture of ambivalence or disrespect toward NCHDs.

Galling

Dr Coffey cited the HSE recruitment ban, extended last November to almost all staff, as “particularly galling”.

However, he said, it was important to acknowledge that some of those working in management roles in hospitals were “genuinely committed” to improving working conditions for doctors.

“There are people I’ve come across in CUH and the Mercy who are completely invested and committed to making things better, and there are elements of things that are better now than they were when I started seven years ago,” said Dr Coffey.

A spokesperson for the HSE said in 2022 the Department of Health had established a national taskforce to put in place “sustainable workforce planning strategies and policies to address and improve NCHD experience”, and its final report had been published in February 2024.

“The overall aim of the taskforce aligns with the HSE’s own mission to support recruitment and retention of doctors in Ireland,” the spokesperson said.

“Improving the welfare and wellbeing of NCHDs and the provision of high-quality training and education is a priority for the HSE.

“As we move into the implementation phase, the HSE is committed to continue to work with the Department of Health and other key stakeholders to address these recommendations.”