❓ Hon Giz Watson raises concerns about junior doctors' fatigue and impaired performance due to demanding work conditions. Minister Ravlich acknowledges the issue and states the Department of Health and AMA are collaborating to review rostering practices.
AnsweredQoN 669Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
In 1999, the Australian Medical Association adopted a national code of safe practice that asserts that hospital rostering and work practices for junior doctors contribute to fatigue and performance impairment. It also asserted that clinical studies have demonstrated that performance impairment of an individual after 18 hours of sustained wakefulness is equivalent to that of a blood alcohol reading greater than 0.05 per cent. (1) Does the minister acknowledge that some medical and surgical registrars are operating at a heightened risk of impaired performance due to a combination of working extended shifts, working without sufficient meal breaks, having insufficient days off and being on call on their days off during busy periods? (2) Will the tertiary hospitals in Western Australia review their medical rostering and work practices for junior doctors in the light of the AMA’s code of safe practice? (3) If no to (2), why not? (4) If no to (2), how will the minister ensure that patients are not at risk? Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Department of Health is aware of the issue of safe working hours for doctors and has been active in encouraging Western Australian hospitals to promote the AMA’s code of safe practice. Many factors can affect safe working hours and they all need to be managed within the code of safe practice. (2) The AMA and the Department of Health have agreed to work together to review rostering practices having regard for the principles contained in the “AMA National Code of Practice - Hours of Work, Shiftwork and Rostering for Hospital Doctors”, dated March 1999. This commitment is part of the medical practitioners - metropolitan health services - AMA industrial agreement 2002. (3)-(4) Not applicable.
(1) Does the minister acknowledge that some medical and surgical registrars are operating at a heightened risk of impaired performance due to a combination of working extended shifts, working without sufficient meal breaks, having insufficient days off and being on call on their days off during busy periods? (2) Will the tertiary hospitals in Western Australia review their medical rostering and work practices for junior doctors in the light of the AMA’s code of safe practice? (3) If no to (2), why not? (4) If no to (2), how will the minister ensure that patients are not at risk? Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Department of Health is aware of the issue of safe working hours for doctors and has been active in encouraging Western Australian hospitals to promote the AMA’s code of safe practice. Many factors can affect safe working hours and they all need to be managed within the code of safe practice. (2) The AMA and the Department of Health have agreed to work together to review rostering practices having regard for the principles contained in the “AMA National Code of Practice - Hours of Work, Shiftwork and Rostering for Hospital Doctors”, dated March 1999. This commitment is part of the medical practitioners - metropolitan health services - AMA industrial agreement 2002. (3)-(4) Not applicable.
(2) Will the tertiary hospitals in Western Australia review their medical rostering and work practices for junior doctors in the light of the AMA’s code of safe practice? (3) If no to (2), why not? (4) If no to (2), how will the minister ensure that patients are not at risk? Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Department of Health is aware of the issue of safe working hours for doctors and has been active in encouraging Western Australian hospitals to promote the AMA’s code of safe practice. Many factors can affect safe working hours and they all need to be managed within the code of safe practice. (2) The AMA and the Department of Health have agreed to work together to review rostering practices having regard for the principles contained in the “AMA National Code of Practice - Hours of Work, Shiftwork and Rostering for Hospital Doctors”, dated March 1999. This commitment is part of the medical practitioners - metropolitan health services - AMA industrial agreement 2002. (3)-(4) Not applicable.
(3) If no to (2), why not? (4) If no to (2), how will the minister ensure that patients are not at risk? Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Department of Health is aware of the issue of safe working hours for doctors and has been active in encouraging Western Australian hospitals to promote the AMA’s code of safe practice. Many factors can affect safe working hours and they all need to be managed within the code of safe practice. (2) The AMA and the Department of Health have agreed to work together to review rostering practices having regard for the principles contained in the “AMA National Code of Practice - Hours of Work, Shiftwork and Rostering for Hospital Doctors”, dated March 1999. This commitment is part of the medical practitioners - metropolitan health services - AMA industrial agreement 2002. (3)-(4) Not applicable.
(4) If no to (2), how will the minister ensure that patients are not at risk? Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Department of Health is aware of the issue of safe working hours for doctors and has been active in encouraging Western Australian hospitals to promote the AMA’s code of safe practice. Many factors can affect safe working hours and they all need to be managed within the code of safe practice. (2) The AMA and the Department of Health have agreed to work together to review rostering practices having regard for the principles contained in the “AMA National Code of Practice - Hours of Work, Shiftwork and Rostering for Hospital Doctors”, dated March 1999. This commitment is part of the medical practitioners - metropolitan health services - AMA industrial agreement 2002. (3)-(4) Not applicable.
Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Department of Health is aware of the issue of safe working hours for doctors and has been active in encouraging Western Australian hospitals to promote the AMA’s code of safe practice. Many factors can affect safe working hours and they all need to be managed within the code of safe practice. (2) The AMA and the Department of Health have agreed to work together to review rostering practices having regard for the principles contained in the “AMA National Code of Practice - Hours of Work, Shiftwork and Rostering for Hospital Doctors”, dated March 1999. This commitment is part of the medical practitioners - metropolitan health services - AMA industrial agreement 2002. (3)-(4) Not applicable.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Department of Health is aware of the issue of safe working hours for doctors and has been active in encouraging Western Australian hospitals to promote the AMA’s code of safe practice. Many factors can affect safe working hours and they all need to be managed within the code of safe practice. (2) The AMA and the Department of Health have agreed to work together to review rostering practices having regard for the principles contained in the “AMA National Code of Practice - Hours of Work, Shiftwork and Rostering for Hospital Doctors”, dated March 1999. This commitment is part of the medical practitioners - metropolitan health services - AMA industrial agreement 2002. (3)-(4) Not applicable.
(1) The Department of Health is aware of the issue of safe working hours for doctors and has been active in encouraging Western Australian hospitals to promote the AMA’s code of safe practice. Many factors can affect safe working hours and they all need to be managed within the code of safe practice. (2) The AMA and the Department of Health have agreed to work together to review rostering practices having regard for the principles contained in the “AMA National Code of Practice - Hours of Work, Shiftwork and Rostering for Hospital Doctors”, dated March 1999. This commitment is part of the medical practitioners - metropolitan health services - AMA industrial agreement 2002. (3)-(4) Not applicable.
(2) The AMA and the Department of Health have agreed to work together to review rostering practices having regard for the principles contained in the “AMA National Code of Practice - Hours of Work, Shiftwork and Rostering for Hospital Doctors”, dated March 1999. This commitment is part of the medical practitioners - metropolitan health services - AMA industrial agreement 2002. (3)-(4) Not applicable.
(3)-(4) Not applicable.
(1) Does the minister acknowledge that some medical and surgical registrars are operating at a heightened risk of impaired performance due to a combination of working extended shifts, working without sufficient meal breaks, having insufficient days off and being on call on their days off during busy periods? (2) Will the tertiary hospitals in Western Australia review their medical rostering and work practices for junior doctors in the light of the AMA’s code of safe practice? (3) If no to (2), why not? (4) If no to (2), how will the minister ensure that patients are not at risk? Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Department of Health is aware of the issue of safe working hours for doctors and has been active in encouraging Western Australian hospitals to promote the AMA’s code of safe practice. Many factors can affect safe working hours and they all need to be managed within the code of safe practice. (2) The AMA and the Department of Health have agreed to work together to review rostering practices having regard for the principles contained in the “AMA National Code of Practice - Hours of Work, Shiftwork and Rostering for Hospital Doctors”, dated March 1999. This commitment is part of the medical practitioners - metropolitan health services - AMA industrial agreement 2002. (3)-(4) Not applicable.
(2) Will the tertiary hospitals in Western Australia review their medical rostering and work practices for junior doctors in the light of the AMA’s code of safe practice? (3) If no to (2), why not? (4) If no to (2), how will the minister ensure that patients are not at risk? Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Department of Health is aware of the issue of safe working hours for doctors and has been active in encouraging Western Australian hospitals to promote the AMA’s code of safe practice. Many factors can affect safe working hours and they all need to be managed within the code of safe practice. (2) The AMA and the Department of Health have agreed to work together to review rostering practices having regard for the principles contained in the “AMA National Code of Practice - Hours of Work, Shiftwork and Rostering for Hospital Doctors”, dated March 1999. This commitment is part of the medical practitioners - metropolitan health services - AMA industrial agreement 2002. (3)-(4) Not applicable.
(3) If no to (2), why not? (4) If no to (2), how will the minister ensure that patients are not at risk? Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Department of Health is aware of the issue of safe working hours for doctors and has been active in encouraging Western Australian hospitals to promote the AMA’s code of safe practice. Many factors can affect safe working hours and they all need to be managed within the code of safe practice. (2) The AMA and the Department of Health have agreed to work together to review rostering practices having regard for the principles contained in the “AMA National Code of Practice - Hours of Work, Shiftwork and Rostering for Hospital Doctors”, dated March 1999. This commitment is part of the medical practitioners - metropolitan health services - AMA industrial agreement 2002. (3)-(4) Not applicable.
(4) If no to (2), how will the minister ensure that patients are not at risk? Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Department of Health is aware of the issue of safe working hours for doctors and has been active in encouraging Western Australian hospitals to promote the AMA’s code of safe practice. Many factors can affect safe working hours and they all need to be managed within the code of safe practice. (2) The AMA and the Department of Health have agreed to work together to review rostering practices having regard for the principles contained in the “AMA National Code of Practice - Hours of Work, Shiftwork and Rostering for Hospital Doctors”, dated March 1999. This commitment is part of the medical practitioners - metropolitan health services - AMA industrial agreement 2002. (3)-(4) Not applicable.
Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Department of Health is aware of the issue of safe working hours for doctors and has been active in encouraging Western Australian hospitals to promote the AMA’s code of safe practice. Many factors can affect safe working hours and they all need to be managed within the code of safe practice. (2) The AMA and the Department of Health have agreed to work together to review rostering practices having regard for the principles contained in the “AMA National Code of Practice - Hours of Work, Shiftwork and Rostering for Hospital Doctors”, dated March 1999. This commitment is part of the medical practitioners - metropolitan health services - AMA industrial agreement 2002. (3)-(4) Not applicable.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Department of Health is aware of the issue of safe working hours for doctors and has been active in encouraging Western Australian hospitals to promote the AMA’s code of safe practice. Many factors can affect safe working hours and they all need to be managed within the code of safe practice. (2) The AMA and the Department of Health have agreed to work together to review rostering practices having regard for the principles contained in the “AMA National Code of Practice - Hours of Work, Shiftwork and Rostering for Hospital Doctors”, dated March 1999. This commitment is part of the medical practitioners - metropolitan health services - AMA industrial agreement 2002. (3)-(4) Not applicable.
(1) The Department of Health is aware of the issue of safe working hours for doctors and has been active in encouraging Western Australian hospitals to promote the AMA’s code of safe practice. Many factors can affect safe working hours and they all need to be managed within the code of safe practice. (2) The AMA and the Department of Health have agreed to work together to review rostering practices having regard for the principles contained in the “AMA National Code of Practice - Hours of Work, Shiftwork and Rostering for Hospital Doctors”, dated March 1999. This commitment is part of the medical practitioners - metropolitan health services - AMA industrial agreement 2002. (3)-(4) Not applicable.
(2) The AMA and the Department of Health have agreed to work together to review rostering practices having regard for the principles contained in the “AMA National Code of Practice - Hours of Work, Shiftwork and Rostering for Hospital Doctors”, dated March 1999. This commitment is part of the medical practitioners - metropolitan health services - AMA industrial agreement 2002. (3)-(4) Not applicable.
(3)-(4) Not applicable.
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