Leading Donegal doctor Denis McCauley, President of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), is urging the government to heed the “unsafe working hours” of hospital doctors and consultants in Ireland.
A new report has shown that Non-Consultant Hospital Doctors are more likely to work excessive hours compared to other doctor cohorts – with almost a third working more than 48 hours per week.
Among hospital consultants, those working in both publicly and privately funded services were most likely to work in excess of 48 hours per week.
IMO research conducted in 2024 showed that 83% of NCHDs are working hours in contravention of the Organisation of Working Time Act which is showing an increase in illegal working hours since 2023.
Dr McCauley, who is also a Stranorlar GP, said the new Medical Council Workforce Intelligence Report confirms the over-reliance the health system has on NCHDs, and the very significant issues faced by NCHDs.
The report called for better work life balance for NCHDs to ensure retention.
There are more than 4,000 NCHDs in training and a further 4,233 not in training.
The report also found that Ireland is highly dependent on International Medical Graduates, having the fourth highest proportion of foreign educated doctors.
“Their commitment to our patients is not matched by the HSE or the Government who are failing to provide them with training opportunities and career structures,” Dr McCauley said.
Dr McCauley warns there is an unsustainable reliance on too few doctors to meet consistently rising demand.
Dr McCauley said: “We have a growing population which increases the demand for healthcare. The Government must take note of the data in this report to address what is a crisis in medical workforce planning.”
He added that consultants were also experiencing intense pressure, with many retiring early as a result. “Consultants regularly work above and beyond their contracted hours yet are consistently and incorrectly faced with charges of low productivity. This is unacceptable,” he said.
“Ultimately, the real losers here are our patients; doctors who are overworked and burnt out cannot provide the optimal care that is needed every day, which eventually leads to poorer outcomes. It is essential that doctor numbers, bed numbers and funding are increased in line with demand, along with the implementation of effective recruitment and retention strategies, if we are to see demonstrable progress in this area.”
