Improving Working Lives: how flexible are surgeons?

In 2001 the Improving Working Lives (IWL) document for doctors was produced by the Department of Health. Since 2002 the intercollegiate IWL committee has met regularly to discuss ways in which relevant matters can be addressed during training and beyond. Eric Waters, the previous IWL champion for doctors, was spot on when he deduced 'the NHS Improving Working Lives initiative seems largely to have passed doctors by' and I think no more so than in surgery. During a survey undertaken in 2004 designed to identify factors that would most improve working lives for doctors, consultant surgeons commented that they were dissatisfied with support offered by the royal colleges.