Danger of missing out on rest breaks


A safety rep has told the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) annual conference that many physiotherapists who are on call are missing out on proper rest breaks; this is leading to fatigue, stress and potential hazards for members and patients. 


“Few members know what the guidance is about on-call compensatory rest breaks,” Katrina Humphreys, a member of the national group of safety reps, told the conference. “And, shockingly, those who do know often don’t take their rest properly because they feel they will be punished for it, or feel they will be letting down their patients and colleagues.”


Member discussions on the union’s networking website, interactive CSP, have revealed that it is common for on-call physios to take no compensatory rest breaks at all, or compensatory rest as annual leave, or only at the discretion of team leaders. 


Humphreys called for a CSP review of the current guidelines and for the union to advise staff of their entitlement.


www.csp.org.uk/news/2016/03/18/arc16-safety-rep-warns-physios-lack-clear-guidance-about-call-rest-breaks