Rota Design for 2009 - North Western Deanery

AppendicesAppendix DExample natural break policyTitle: Junior Doctor Hours andBreaks Breach PolicyPurpose:To ensure junior doctors hours of work comply with therequirements and limits of working as set out underNew Deal and European Working Time Directive.Documentation Application:This policy relates to all junior doctors.Responsibilities For Implementation:Trustwide responsibility is required for the success in theimplementation of this policy. Directorate managers arerequired to investigate a breach of shift or naturalbreak.Date Issued:August 2007Date Revised:n/aReview Date:August 2008Author:Noreen Akram, human resourcesReferences (If Applicable):Intranet Category For Location:Human resourcesBackground1.1 Under terms and conditions of service, all juniordoctors in training (includes junior doctors in nontraining posts participating on the rota andreferred to as junior doctors hereafter) are requiredto comply with the requirements and limits onhours of working as set out in HSC 1998/240 andHSC 2003/001. The trust and junior doctors have aduty to ensure that junior doctors work within theapproved working pattern for their grade andspecialty.1.2 Junior doctors and the trust have a jointresponsibility to ensure that they do notcommence or finish work later than the agreedstart and end times. In addition, it sets out theresponsibilities of the junior doctor to takewhatever action is necessary to ensure a naturalbreak is taken and the process to follow in thesituation where a natural break cannot be takenwithin the timeframe outlined in section 3 below.1.3 It’s imperative that the each division introducessuch mechanisms to safeguard not only the healthand safety of its junior doctors but also to ensurethat they are well rested to provide the highestquality of care to our patients. Failure toimplement this policy effectively also puts juniordoctor posts at risk of becoming non compliantand attracting pay band 3.Shift lengths2.1 It’s not uncommon for junior doctors to arrive attheir workplace earlier than the start time of theirshift, often to avoid traffic or to attend consultantsmeetings. Unless instructed to do so by anauthorised and senior member of the trust, theyshould not declare this as time in work as this istheir own free time.55