Letter : Overworked junior doctors save money

Sir: The Government's desire to renege on the New Deal agreement and to increase junior doctors' maximum working hours is hardly surprising ("Ministers want doctors to work 83-hour weeks", 28 November).

So long as junior doctors are paid at a reduced hourly rate for overtime (over 40 hours per week) then it is in the financial interests of the paymaster to increase not reduce their hours. The alternative of providing training for junior doctors rather than "experience" is even more expensive.

RICHARD ROGERS

Senior Registrar in Anaesthesia

London SE11