If you’re booked in to attend hospital, try to avoid Wednesday, August 1 – the first Wednesday of August is known as “the killing season”. It’s when medical students arrive for their first day of work as junior doctors, and it’s associated with a 6 per cent increase in deaths in the wards.
Their deadly effect lasts for around four months before the new recruits finally recognise one end of a test-tube from the other.
In the UK, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges finally wants to see something done. It’s calling for flexible rotas during the holiday months of August and September to ensure new junior doctors are monitored by more senior staff, and with emphasis on patient safety.
The AMRC’s recommendations are expected to come into force this August, and so hopefully we’ll see a drop in patient deaths.
(Source: Academy of Medical Royal Colleges website).
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