'Patient safety at risk due to the long hours doctors are working'

Irish Medical Council CEO Leo Kearns said the health service 'is in continued jeopardy' due to doctors working overlong hours. File picture: Maxwells

Patient safety is being put at risk by long hours worked by doctors, with data showing these medics are more likely to make mistakes, the CEO of the Irish Medical Council warned on Thursday.

Leo Kearns said 44.9% of doctors working 59 hours or more in a week were involved in what hospitals term “adverse events” leading to serious harm.