Talks resume in junior doctors' row

Talks are resuming today in a bid to prevent industrial action by junior doctors spreading across the country.

Doctors’ representatives and health service managers were reconvening at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) in Dublin amid a row over rosters.

So far two hospitals – Waterford General and Tullamore General – have been forced to cancel non-emergency surgery due to a "work to rule" protest.

The result of a nationwide ballot of 2,600 doctors on industrial action is expected later today, with a threat that the protest will spread to all hospitals.

Junior doctors, represented by the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), are claiming that new rosters will undermine their training.

But the Health Service Employers Agency has argued that the medics are simply trying to protect and enhance overtime pay.

The talks, chaired by LRC chief executive Kieran Mulvey, broke up on Monday with both sides saying they were “confident” that a solution could be found, although this could take some weeks.

Action at Waterford and Tullamore has been suspended while the talks are ongoing.

Meanwhile, a study showed today that the majority of family doctors in Ireland believe their workload is too heavy and patients are suffering as a result.

Nearly 60% said there was too much work while 85% believe they could provide better patient care if they were under less pressure.

The Department of General Practice at University College Dublin, which conducted the survey, explained: “Over the last 18 years it has become apparent that small areas with higher levels of social and economic deprivation have more adverse health outcomes – higher levels of chronic disease, higher mortality rates.

"GPs practising in these areas have more out-of-hours work and increased consultation rates.

“Possibly the most worrying finding to emerge from this study is that 59% subjectively report their workload as being too heavy with 85% reporting they could improve the quality of care they provide if it was less,” said the report in the Irish Medical Journal.

More than half of those questioned said they were too busy to keep up extra medical education to improve their skills.