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[Sorry if this is a duplicate, but I keep getting "rejected" through no fault of my own - Delete if you've already read it] --> AF, you may have missed my point... >These shifts are ridiculous. --> That's what many have said about many shift patterns in the past, all of which have been done by someone! And are still being done, but often not admitted to. Please recall I am using this as an example and I consider that there will be very few "non-ridiculous" solutions to trying to man an ED of 54K per year with 6 SHOs and doubling up at night... >I can't imagine anyone in their right mind signing up to them. --> Imagination is not required in this case. Please try to recall some of your own worse SHO experiences and see if anyone would imagine them now... >14 hours on site, with 3 hours' downtime (during which you do what?) --> You go for a proper lunch and still have an hour for dinner. And you did not HAVE to stay on site for your lunch as you did not carry a pager anyway, so could not be reached. A break was a break! >but only 10 hours of true free time, in which you have to commute, eat, >relax, sleep and commute again. --> ... IF it was YOU who had to do that same 14-hour shift again the next day. Which you did not. You did SHO2 the next day, if I recall correctly... And there were other switches like this, but the detail is not the main point here, it's the concept of longer shifts done more humanely. >Unworkable. --> Untrue. >Besides, WTD demands at least 11 hours' rest time between shifts. --> Was before WTD in a place that didn't care anyway. However, as explained, it would have complied with these breaks, especially since all docs on rota lived very close by in paid-for accommodation and could walk to work in a few minutes. I see the word "commute" and expect you are using the London context... ---> Again, the point I was trying to make is that, although it will NOT solve an impossible situation such as Danny presents, there ARE sometimes (especially with a few more people on the rota) patterns you'd tend not to think about, which allow docs to do longer shifts but tolerate them better. I am sure there are many senior docs on this list who have had to (and still do) spend long periods on duty, but have managed to find ways to make these MUCH more workable... [Again, sorry if this is a duplicate]