Juniors' hours: is the end in sight?

Abstract

The question of how to reduce junior doctors' hours has taxed the government and hospital managers for nearly two decades. Now regional task forces are being asked to get them down to a maximum of 83 a week by 1 April next year. From a comparison of the way in which two different task forces (Northern and North West Thames) have responded to the challenge it emerges that most units will probably meet the 83 hour deadline by making simple rationalisations. Meeting the next deadline--of a 72 hour maximum by December 1996--will, however, require radical restructuring of working patterns.