Northern Ireland: Over half of consultants want to cut their hours

Consistently heavy work pressures have led more than half (59%) of full time consultants in Northern Ireland to want to reduce their hours, with three quarters warning that staffing gaps are harming patient care.

Analysis of consultant physicians in the region has shown frequent rota gaps, unfilled consultant vacancies, and excessive workloads.

A report by the UK’s three royal colleges of physicians1—the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow—details a local breakdown of the annual UK census survey of consultant physicians published in June, containing responses from 5244 doctors, 121 of whom were from Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland findings were discussed at an event on 11 October hosted by the colleges’ leaders, who met with politicians, government officials, and Health and Social …