Doctors witnessing ‘seismic shift’ in attitudes of hospital bosses after legal victories on overtime
Lawyer Hayden Stephens says junior doctors turned to class actions after exhausting other options.
Managers are finally cleaning up their act on junior doctor rostering and staffing after another class action settlement, says a lawyer who has worked on three lawsuits for the doctors.
Last week, the ACT Government accepted a $31.5 million settlement with around 2200 junior doctors who worked unpaid overtime over an eight-year period.
It follows NSW Health’s $230 million settlement with more than 25,000 doctors this year and Victorian doctor Dr Gaby Bolton winning her own overtime case against Peninsula Health.
Hayden Stephens, who worked on all three cases, says hospital managers have started easing the demands on junior doctors.
