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\n \u2018Doctors are expected to be human and personal in consultations \u2026 [but] are also expected to be superhuman when it comes to fatigueability,\u2019 says an RACGP expert.
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\n News<\/p>\n
\n NSW Health has apologised after doctors were told workload struggles are \u2018not a great indicator for longevity\u2019 \u2013 a \u2018lack of respect\u2019 an RACGP expert says must lead to change.
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\n \u2018Doctors are expected to be human and personal in consultations \u2026 [but] are also expected to be superhuman when it comes to fatigueability,\u2019 says an RACGP expert.
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newsGP weekly poll
\n NSW Health has apologised to junior doctors after an email from a hospital administrator, telling staff that struggling with workload<\/a> is \u2018not a great indicator for longevity\u2019, sparked fierce backlash.
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\nThe email, which was sent to doctors at Nepean Hospital, has been labelled \u2018deeply concerning\u2019 by RACGP GPs in Training faculty Deputy Chair Dr Madeleine Wilkie, who says it shows a \u2018clear lack of respect\u2019 for doctors.
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\nIt opens with an intention to \u2018clarify some trends which are merging which reflect some misunderstanding of rostering\u2019.
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\n\u2018Sick leave: this is intended to be used for when you are ill. As rosters are published well in advance if you are rostered and have life events or future engagements .. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to swap out of the shifts,\u2019 the email said.
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\n\u2018Roster swaps: these are NOT automatically approved. The roster is designed to ensure NO ONE is exhausted and if we have some juniors who are constantly covering, they will have fatigue.
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\n\u2018There is an implicit acceptance when entering medicine, you are going to be exposed to after hours and nights BECAUSE all doctors cover these hours because health care is 24\/7.
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\n\u2018Your careers will be hopefully long .. please come and make contact if you are struggling now as it’s not a great indicator for longevity in the profession it you are already feeling the strain from rosters which unfortunately are absolutely standard for health.\u2019
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\nDr Wilkie said the email reveals a crisis in the health system that is not exclusive to junior doctors.
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\n\u2018The last paragraph concerns me the most. This mentality is not representative of medicine in 2026,\u2019 she told newsGP.
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\n\u2018It is outdated, and we should not still be perpetuating that doctors are expected to work 80-hour weeks as \u201cstandard\u201d.
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\n\u2018The letter is reflective of a systemic issue which we were already aware of, yet unfortunately seems not to have changed.\u2019
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\nA spokesperson for the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District has apologised for the email to junior medical officers (JMOs).
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\n\u2018We know JMOs are the future of healthcare and we deeply value their contribution to our community,\u2019 they told newsGP.
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\n\u2018Supporting the wellbeing of our JMOs is a priority for our district, and we acknowledge this email did not reflect this.\u2019
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\nThe spokesperson said senior doctors have since met with JMOs to discuss how rostering could be improved to support their welfare while \u2018meeting the challenges of delivering care in a 24-hour health service\u2019.
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\nBut Dr Wilkie said a \u2018crisis\u2019 is occurring in the health system.
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\n\u2018This is not exclusive to junior doctors, but registrars on hospital-based training programs as well,\u2019 she said.
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\n\u2018Ultimately doctors under these conditions will either become physically unwell, psychologically unwell, or leave, and we know all of these things are already happening. Further to this, their ability to provide quality care to patients is then compromised.\u00a0Everybody loses.
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\n\u2018We need a complete overhaul of the working conditions, staff numbers, pay rates, funding allocation and culture, but a bit of respect and appreciation is a good place to start.\u2019\u00a0
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\nDr Wilkie said the expectations placed on doctors shows a \u2018dichotomy\u2019, with the demand to be both human and superhuman.
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\n\u2018Doctors are expected to be human and personal in consultation with patients, however, are also expected to be superhuman when it comes to fatigueability and the impact of work on\u00a0physical and mental health,\u2019 she said.\u00a0
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\nAustralian Salaried Medical Officers\u2019 Federation (ASMOF) NSW President Dr Nicholas Spooner said the email is \u2018blaming [junior doctors] for fatigue\u2019\u00a0\u2013 calling for safe working hours to be implemented across the state\u2019s hospitals.
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\n\u2018Given that we know excessive work, unsustainable working hours and fatigue are taking a devastating toll on doctors, it is not appropriate that NSW Health would seek to shift the blame for these systemic problems onto individual doctors themselves, often with tragic consequences,\u2019 he said.
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\nThe email adds to an already strained relationship between NSW Health and the state\u2019s doctors, stoked last year by a leaked email from John Hunter Hospital that referred to junior doctors as \u2018clinical marshmellows<\/a> [sic]\u2019.
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\nA 2025 ASMOF survey<\/a> of more than 2600 NSW public hospital doctors reveals one in three report working 55 hours or more in the previous week.
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\nFurther, 32.6% of doctors in training said their roster does not allow the mandated 10 hours\u2019 rest between shifts.
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\nThe report also reveals one in three doctors in the state\u2019s public hospitals have considered resigning<\/a> over excessive workloads, and of doctors in training, almost 38% are considering leaving NSW or Australia.
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\nDr Spooner said the reports shows the impact of \u2018chronic underinvestment\u2019 in the NSW hospital system, with doctors forced to make \u2018life or death decisions without the resources they need to protect the health of the people who depend on them\u2019.
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\n\u2018The report shows a public health system starved of the resources it needs to protect public health,\u2019 he said.
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\n GP workload<\/a> junior doctors<\/a> NSW Health<\/a>
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