When were 12 hour shifts introduced in the UK?

[Aidy]

Hi everyone.

I'm student working on a fatigue drug error dissertation. Could anyone shed any light on when 12 hour shifts were introduced in the UK? I can't find any information on it. If I get the year this would allow me to narrow this down.

kind regards

Ireland's favourite ginger male nurse :monkeydance:

[Kabel]

Hi,

I don't know for everywhere but when I qualified in 2000 the ward I worked on had just introduced them and they were one of the first to do so in that hospital.

One of the senior staff nurses was looking the new system as part of her dissertation - not sure how exactly ie research/audit. I seem to recall she also presented ?her findings at some conference.

Not sure if this helps but maybe good place to start.

Kabel

[XB9S, BSN, MSN, EdD, RN, APN]

I worked 12 hour shifts over 12 years ago in ICU. so they have been around for quite some time

[LeeTendayi]

Hy first job from college was at King's College 1996 January we were doing 12hrs shifts on the Paeds Neurosciences Unit so were NICU, PICU and one Med-surg Paeds ward.

[Thanet]

I was doing it in 1975... all depends on the senior nurse I find

[cheshirecat]

I was doing psych secondment in 1981 and the trained staff used to work 7 on, 7 off 12 hr shifts 8am -8pm.

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

Someof the hospitals I worked in it all depended on staffing and the senior sister, only 1 person did it an really did over 12 hours and worked 37 half hours in 2 half days

[angiebaby2]

Hi, a lot of people on my ward work 14 hour days - 7am until 9pm and a 37.5 hour week. I think it has been around for quite a while.

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

I remember doing it in the early 90's

[PamUK]

In my hospital, they were introduced about 10 years ago, but have been around much longer than that.

Have you thought about requesting this information directly from individual hospitals under Freedom of Information (FOI) Ask specificly if the hospital has 12 hour shifts, what year they were introduced and details of any drug errors that were considered a result of fatigue. If the hospital holds this information, they must give it to you and have 28 days to reply to your request. You can usually find an FOI request button on many hospitals websites. You don't have to identify yourself either.

Hope this helps

[macenna]

lets put it this way out the 3 years i have been nursing i have always had to do 12 hour shifts some are 13 or 14 hours.

bad news really sometimes!!!

need to be a bit shorter x