One in three frontline doctors in NSW public hospitals are considering resigning, with excessive hours pushing an already overstretched workforce to breaking point, a new report released by ASMOF - The Doctors Union, has found.
The report by UTS School of Public Health’s Dr Sarah Wise drew on the largest ever survey of NSW public hospital doctors with more than 2,500 responses.
It found that one in two (51%) more worked more than 50 hours in the past week, one in three (33.1%) worked more than 55, and one in eight (12.4%) worked more than 70.
Nearly two in three (63.5%) said excessive workloads were affecting their health and wellbeing, and more than two in three (69%) said they had worked sick or injured.
Only one in six (16.1%) said their workload was manageable, and nearly one in three said they had made a clinical decision they were uncomfortable with due to resourcing constraints.
Senior doctors (Staff Specialists) in NSW public hospitals are ineligible for overtime, regardless of how many additional hours they work at night or on weekends.
In contrast, while junior doctors in training are eligible for overtime, less than half actually claim it. Many feel significant pressure to under-report their hours, leaving a large portion of their work uncompensated.
The report found that one in three (32%) frontline doctors in NSW public hospitals have considered resigning, and more than one in two (54.5%) considered reducing their hours. Of doctors in training, more than one in three (37.9%) were considering leaving NSW or Australia.
Medical Registrar Dr Isaac Wade says that the numbers are no surprise given his experience over 5 years working in NSW hospitals. “My colleagues and I are regularly working over 10 days in a row, with barely any opportunities for rest or even leave for training and education.
“I know many doctors who have left the NSW Health system due to unsafe working conditions. Every time we see one of our colleagues leave, we know the strain is getting worse, and the shifts will get longer.”
The results are consistent with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s findings that NSW has the lowest per-capita investment in public health in the country.
ASMOF NSW President Dr Nicholas Spooner said doctors in the NSW health system were concerned that underinvestment would affect patients in public hospitals.
“The frontline doctors who keep our health system running have one performance measure that we judge ourselves by and that’s the health and wellbeing of the people of New South Wales.
“This report shows that doctors in NSW public hospitals are working longer hours than ever, making life or death decisions without the resources they need to protect the health of the people who depend on them.
“One in three doctors are considering walking away because they simply have no more to give.
“Chronic underinvestment in our hospital system has taken too much from us in terms of our health, our wellbeing and our capacity to heal the people who need us.
“The report shows a public health system starved of the resources it needs to protect public health.”
Contact details:
Darren Rodrigo 0414 783 405
