The impact of the European Working Time Directive ten years on: views of the UK medical graduates of 2002 surveyed in 2013-2014

Objectives: To report doctors’ views about the European Working Time Directive (EWTD). Design: Survey of the medical graduates of 2002 (surveyed in 2013-2014). Participants: Medical graduates. Setting: UK. Main outcome measures: Questions on views about the EWTD. Results: The response rate was 64% (2056/3196). 12% of respondents agreed that the EWTD had benefited senior doctors, 39% that it benefited junior doctors, and 17% that it had benefited the NHS. More women (41%) than men (35%) agreed that the EWTD had benefited junior doctors. Surgeons (6%) and adult medical specialists (8%) were least likely to agree that the EWTD had benefited senior doctors. Surgeons (20%) were less likely than others to agree that the EWTD had benefited junior doctors, whilst specialists in emergency medicine (57%) and psychiatry (52%) were more likely to agree. Surgeons (7%) were least likely to agree that the EWTD had benefited the NHS. Most respondents (62.2%) reported a positive effect upon work-life balance. With regard to quality of patient care, 454.9% reported a neutral effect, 4039.7% reported a negative effect and 15.3% a positive effect. Most respondents (71.0%) reported a negative effect of the EWTD on continuity of patient care, and 710.6% felt that the EWTD had had a negative effect upon junior doctors’ training opportunities. 521.9% reported a negative effect on efficiency in managing patient care. Conclusions: Senior doctors agreed that the EWTD benefited doctors’ work-life balance. In other respects, they were more negative about it. Surgeons were the least positive about aspects of the EWTD.