In a survey of 31,360 junior doctors carried out by PMETB, the body responsible for regulating medical training, one in 10 of the respondents whose hours were compliant on paper said that they were being asked to lie. The data was revealed by the Health Service Journal today.

But it is not just the junior doctors that are lying. Earlier this month the President of the Royal College of Surgeons attended a truly frightening meeting of the Department of Health EWTD team and the Academy of Royal Colleges at which specialty after specialty described the reality of 'mythical rotas'. They uncovered dangerously thin levels of cover, multiple handovers and unplanned and untested service re-configurations. The number of unfilled junior posts, both service and training, now approaches 3,000. Overall national compliance with the EWTD has fallen from 78 to 72% as paper rotas were revealed as being 'mythical'. As the situation is examined more critically the true figure may be lower still.

It is easy to understand why some junior doctors would be economical with the truth. Many of them have realised that the Working Time Directive is going to be bad for their training, bad for their patients and bad for their personal lives. The last thing they would want is that their hours be further reduced.

It is also easy to understand why some hospital managers would want to be economical with the truth, since their bonuses and financial security could be affected. Many of them are working in a culture where quotas and targets are the yardsticks by which they succeed - or get fired.

It is much harder to understand why so many of the leaders of our profession are showing such weak leadership. Remedy urges PMETB to consider whether training programmes that were approved prior to the 48 hour week can still be approved for training after August. We urge them to look at 'mythical rotas'. And we urge them to address this now rather than in 12 years time.