Relation between a career and family life for English hospital consultants: qualitative, semistructured interview study.

OBJECTIVE To explore the relation between work and family life among hospital consultants and their attitude towards the choices and constraints that influence this relation. DESIGN Qualitative study of consultants' experiences and views based on tape recorded semistructured interviews. SETTING Former South Thames health region in southeast England. PARTICIPANTS 202 male and female NHS hospital consultants aged between 40 to 50 years representing all hospital medical specialties. RESULTS Three types of relation between work and family life (career dominant, segregated, and accommodating) were identified among hospital consultants. Most consultants had a segregated relation, although female consultants were more likely than male consultants to have a career dominant or an accommodating relation. Many male consultants and some female consultants expressed considerable dissatisfaction with the balance between their career and family life. A factor influencing this dissatisfaction was the perceived lack of choice to spend time on their personal or family life, because of the working practices and attitudes within hospital culture, if they wanted a successful career. CONCLUSIONS Consultants are currently fitting in with the profession rather than the profession adapting to enable doctors to have fulfilling professional and personal lives. Current government policies to increase the medical workforce and promote family friendly policies in the NHS ought to take account of the need for a fundamental change in hospital culture to enable doctors to be more involved in their personal or family life without detriment to their career progress.