Doctors in surgery and obs/gynae most likely to work longer hours

Doctors in surgery and obstetrics and gynaecology were most likely to report working more than 48 hours a week, according to the Medical Workforce Intelligence Report 2024.

Around half of doctors in surgery and 35 per cent of those in obstetrics/gynaecology reported working such hours.

The Medical Workforce Intelligence Report, published by the Medical Council, analyses the clinically active medical workforce in Ireland including demographics, divisional status, and details on employment and specialties. 

In this latest data, doctors were asked questions related to hours spent working in direct patient care, maintaining patient safety and future career plans.

The research reveals that: 

• Almost a quarter of doctors (23.1 per cent) self-reported working more than 48 hours on average per week, in contravention of the European Working Time Directive (EWTD).
• The disciplines most likely to indicate working more than 48 hours a week were surgery (50.9 per cent) and obstetrics and gynaecology (34.9 per cent).
• Among doctors who reported working in excess of 48 hours per week, 45.6 per cent also reported that they were working in direct patient care in excess of 48 hours per week.
• Just over one quarter (26.1 per cent) reported experiencing difficulty providing a patient with sufficient care at least once a week or more frequently, while slightly over one-third (33.6 per cent) reported never experiencing difficulty.
• 73 per cent of doctors cited “pressure on workloads” as the greatest barrier to providing a patient with sufficient care at least once a week or more frequently.
• Other barriers observed or experienced by most doctors included ‘time spent on bureaucracy/administration’ (55.1 per cent), followed by ‘delays to providing care, treatment and screening’ (46.1 per cent).

In tandem with the workforce report, the Council has also released new data on doctors who joined and left the medical register in 2024.

Ms Jantze Cotter, Executive Director, Regulatory Policy, Standards and Research, Medical Council, said: “Although Ireland is internationally respected for its high standards in medical training, retaining doctors trained in Ireland remains a challenge. Our data also identifies factors that may compromise optimal patient outcomes, with many doctors working hours that exceed the limits set by the EWTD, contributing to stress, burnout, and absenteeism. 

“Over the years, we’ve seen an increase in women in medicine, reflecting a positive shift towards greater gender diversity and inclusivity in healthcare. Flexible training and practice options are essential as Ireland’s increasing population demands an increase in GP numbers, as well as overall doctor numbers. 

“A key aspect to retaining our highly skilled workforce is through organisations working together, using data, knowledge, and resources to focus efforts and produce tangible actions,” Ms Cotter concluded. 

Dr Maria O’Kane, CEO of the Medical Council, added: “The Medical Council is proactively working with stakeholders including medical schools, government colleagues and patient safety organisations to support the growing medical workforce. We remain committed to this work while safely expediting the increasing number of doctors’ registrations.  

“We’ve seen a phenomenal increase in recent years in the number of doctors joining the register. Despite there being over 30,000 doctors on the register at the end of 2024, our research today shows that only 20,692 doctors report being clinically active in Ireland in the same year.  

“The recent report on General Practice in Ireland, published last month by Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD, and the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service, aligns strongly with the data in our own reports. The Medical Council shares the same views on the urgent need for strategic, sustainable investment in training, recruitment, and retention – for GPs and other doctors alike.”  

Dr Bernadette Rock, Head of Research and Regulatory Data Insights with the Medical Council, added: “Understanding doctors’ perspectives on barriers to patient safety helps us to understand why certain groups of doctors are more likely to face obstacles to good practice and effective teamwork in clinical settings. 

“Our Medical Workforce Intelligence Reports are made possible by the doctors who answer the workforce questions on the 2024 Annual Retention Form. These insights from doctors are critical in shaping a sustainable, well-supported medical workforce and promoting patient safety into the future. We thank the doctors for their contributions.”