Figures published by the BMA show that the vast majority of consultants never have time off to rest before treating patients after a busy night on call.
A survey of 847 consultants found that seven in 10 (71%) never have access to rest time following a night spent on call when their sleep had been disturbed and a further one in ten (10%) said that such rest was rare. Only one in 10 (11%) said that they had rest time. The BMA warned that patient safety could be compromised due to fatigue and burnout.
