Assessing Work Done by Healthcare Workers Outside of Official Duty Hours

Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for Health (a) whether a survey has been conducted to assess the extent to which healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses and allied health professionals, are working outside of official duty hours, including from offsite, for purposes of preparation or completion of administrative matters arising from clinical duties transpiring during official duty hours; and (b) what is being done to recognise such ground realities where they arise, and ensure this will not undermine the intent of flexible working arrangements.

The public healthcare clusters monitor and manage staffing needs to balance the workload of its healthcare workers. Based on a recent survey conducted for medical residents, about nine in 10 residents kept within the guidelines of an 80-hour work week and one out of seven days free from educational and clinical responsibilities.

That said, at times when there is high patient load, healthcare professionals complete administrative tasks after their official duty hours, when they are not busy attending to patients’ needs.

Ageing and rising patient load mean that the health system is under significant pressure and healthcare workers are all working hard. We need to recognise that relieving workload of one group often means more work for others or reduced patient care. Ultimately, we will need to expand the healthcare team, inculcate teamwork, foster understanding amongst healthcare professionals, enhance efficiency, deploy suitable technologies and encourage good health to manage workload.