The Student Room Group

EWTD opt out

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(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 1
You can always opt back in at any time as far as Im aware anyway
Reply 2
Usually rotas must be compliant as they can't predict who would opt in or out. They may try to encourage an opt out so you can locum for them to fill gaps... & sounds like the new contract tries to tie people into doing internal locums paid at less than market rates with their own employer or elsewhere or via agencies.

I never opted out - I though the EWTD restrictions were fine & my price for locums in addition to a regular job much higher than would ever be offered anyway so got through training without doing any!
Original post by Elles
Usually rotas must be compliant as they can't predict who would opt in or out.


Wonderful, that's what I needed to hear. In that case I will probably opt out so I have to opportunity to locum (in F2) if I want. I know the hospital frequently flies people in to do a few locum shifts, so I imagine the rates are decent.
Reply 4
Original post by stroppyninja
I know the hospital frequently flies people in to do a few locum shifts, so I imagine the rates are decent.


They are trying to "cap" locum rates by grade & the proposed contract will apparently give your employer first refusal of your locum labour before you can work anywhere more attractive, so locums might become less lucrative in the future...

I'd recommend the junior doctor's contract Facebook group to read about potential implications & pros/cons of the contract - although it gets quite heated!
Reply 5
Original post by stroppyninja
Wonderful, that's what I needed to hear. In that case I will probably opt out so I have to opportunity to locum (in F2) if I want. I know the hospital frequently flies people in to do a few locum shifts, so I imagine the rates are decent.


FY1 locum rates won't be amazing, especially once the cap is in place. And as an FY1 I think you can't locum anywhere other than your own hospital. The number of shifts available will vary hugely depending on if they have rota gaps or not - less likely at FY1 than higher up, so in many places you'd just be covering short notice sickness etc.

I never signed the opt-out as a foundation doctor - was worried that it would leave me unsupported if we did complain about our hours.
I don't think you need to physically sign an opt out. Certainly, I've never seen anyone do or ask for that.

Your rota must comply with the EWTD whether or not you do locums. By partaking in locum work you are implicitly waiving your right to the EWTD for that shift, but not thereafter, is my understanding. If you do one locum shift one week it doesn't mean your hospital can then shaft you with 100 rota hours the next!
Original post by Helenia
FY1 locum rates won't be amazing, especially once the cap is in place. And as an FY1 I think you can't locum anywhere other than your own hospital. The number of shifts available will vary hugely depending on if they have rota gaps or not - less likely at FY1 than higher up, so in many places you'd just be covering short notice sickness etc.

I never signed the opt-out as a foundation doctor - was worried that it would leave me unsupported if we did complain about our hours.


Thanks - I'm going to be on Jersey, so I think the usual rules may not apply as it's not an NHS trust. I was mostly considering a&e locum in fy2, and wanted to make sure that I wouldn't be given a horrible rota by opting out!
Reply 8
Original post by stroppyninja
Thanks - I'm going to be on Jersey, so I think the usual rules may not apply as it's not an NHS trust. I was mostly considering a&e locum in fy2, and wanted to make sure that I wouldn't be given a horrible rota by opting out!


As Elles said, it's unlikely they will change the basic rota because not everyone will opt out. I'd suggest getting used to the job and life as a doctor before signing yourself up for too much extra though!
the other factor to consider with EWTD opt out is that it only opts you out of the 48 hour averageworking week...
I've had to physically sign opt-outs. I did it for my F1 job because I felt kind of pressured to sign all the forms I was given and didn't know much about it. I also thought I'd maybe do some locum shifts.

Just done all my paperwork for FY2 and refused to sign the one I was given, I think they thought I was crazy by the way they asked me about it (can only assume almost everybody else does).
Thing is, I already work a full time job, why on earth would I ever want to work more?

If people stopped doing locums maybe all these stupid rota gaps would be exposed for what they really are and the NHS would actually do something about it. They used locums as an excuse to understaff one of my previous jobs by making a job which was clearly physically impossible for one person into one person 'plus' a locum shift. So there was an internal pressure on all of us to fill the gap in the locum shift and I felt bullied into it so that I wouldn't have to do my own shifts alone. It felt like a bit of a farce and massively taking advantage /my own opinion

If you do want to do locum shifts just get back in touch with medical staffing and they can let you opt-out at any later date. It really has no impact on you except that you can't be pressurised into doing locums.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by seaholme
x.


Thanks for your long response, that sounds horrible being bullied into locum shifts.

I think I'd like to work as few hours as possible in summer, and as many as possible over winter.
Curious (as an incoming F1 this August) - what with audits, research, studying for MRCP / MRCS, ?social life on top of normal work hours - how many people actually do locum shifts and on average how many hours is possible in a given month? Are we talking about an extra 2 or 3 hours a month or 20-30 hrs?
Original post by inthevale
Curious (as an incoming F1 this August) - what with audits, research, studying for MRCP / MRCS, ?social life on top of normal work hours - how many people actually do locum shifts and on average how many hours is possible in a given month? Are we talking about an extra 2 or 3 hours a month or 20-30 hrs?


2-3 hour shifts are hard to come by and I certainly wouldn't consider it in a ward full of patients/a specialty I'm not familiar with. Most of the internal ones you'll be offered are full day/half-day/"however you can help" shifts.

I've done maybe 4 locum shifts since starting FY1 - I didn't mind working the extra hours but missing that rest day is huge so I haven't done many more. They're often hard to squeeze in to your rota as well (and remain compliant if you're on the EWTD), depending on what it's like.
I did no locum shifts as an F1, and only a few since then. My F1 hospital had a full rota, so locum slots were rare, usually just to cover short notice sickness etc (or when I got stuck in Austria because of snow in the UK and couldn't get back in time for my on-call!) How many you do is a personal balance between desire for extra cash vs how much you value your rest time.
Thanks guys, appreciate the info!

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