NHS told to face up to alcoholism
Up to one in 15 doctors, at some point in their lives, have a problem with alcohol or drugs, according to new figures from the British Medical Association.
About 750 members of NHS clinical and medical staff have received formal disciplinary action for drug or alcohol offences at work in the last ten years, researchers on the BBC’s Real Story found.
However, despite these figures, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, there are currently no strict and universal rules to govern staff on drinking before duty.
In other professions, such as aviation, there are strict regulations on the amount of alcohol. Some airlines breathalyse pilots before they report for duty, with others demanding that no alcohol is consumed in the 12 hours before reporting for duty.
There is no such similar policy in medicine.
The BMA’s head of science and ethics, Dr Vivienne Nathanson, said that doctors needed to be offered more help.
Dr Nathanson, said: “Addiction figures are hard to come by, but we do not think the figure is higher than in the general population. However, doctors work in very stressful environments in a culture where it is difficult to seek help.
“There are some services already available to doctors such as the BMA’s counselling service and its advisory unit “Doctors for Doctors”, but the Government could do more by investing in specially designed services that will meet the distinct needs of doctors.
“Doctors respond extremely well to treatment when they have the appropriate services available to them. Research has shown that the vast majority of doctors will make a full recovery.”
And the chairman of the BMA ethics committee, Michael Wilks, warned that denial within the profession makes it difficult to tackle the problem.
“You’ve got a profession that doesn’t want to face up to the fact that it’s got a problem in the ranks. You’ve got levels of denial that make it virtually impossible for an alcoholic doctor to be helped.”
However, director of operations for NHS Employers, Alistair Henderson, said there are currently no plans to create compulsory guidelines or introduce random breath tests.
While the levels of abuse vary across the country, only Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Trust offers its employees guidance on alcohol consumption, stating that they should not drink when on call or up to eight hours before going on duty.
