Research into the health of health workers is a source of great contention and, often, more than a degree of irony. A new survey of senior hospital doctors suggests that 80 percent are considering early retirement just as the announcement landed that doctors’ union, the British Medical Association, has reluctantly agreed to negotiate compulsory weekend work for consultants—something that is now the subject of an important debate by the government’s petitions committee after a petition opposing a 24/7 health service more than doubled the required 100,000 signatories.
So will a 24/7 health service risk turning doctors into patients? NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens recently announced a 5 million British pounds scheme to improve the health of 1.3 million NHS workers. From healthy eating to fast-tracking mental health services, this is an attempt to address a real problem.
