The Prime Minister has tasked the General Inspectorate of Social Affairs (IGAS) and the General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF) with carrying out a review of doctors’ working hours in private practice and in hospitals. The task was, in particular, to collate available data, analyse trends in doctors’ working hours and the measures available to optimise them, and examine the organisation and management of working hours in public hospitals.

The report first highlights a lack of knowledge regarding doctors’ working hours. Existing data allow for the monitoring of staffing levels and activity, but none currently enable a consolidated measurement of a doctor’s working hours, taking into account the full range of their activities and practice models – whether in private practice, as a salaried employee, or a combination of both. Yet this knowledge is becoming increasingly important for assessing the medical time actually available and adapting the organisation of healthcare provision.

Available surveys show a decrease in declared working hours over recent years, a trend particularly evident among self-employed doctors. The task force’s analysis of National Health Insurance data also shows that between 2021 and 2025, the number of days spent in private practice fell by between 3 per cent and 8 per cent, depending on the specialisms studied. However, this trend does not automatically translate into an equivalent reduction in the supply of healthcare, as the workload is simultaneously tending to intensify and become concentrated over a smaller number of days.

In the public hospital sector, the report notes that the management of doctors’ working hours remains insufficiently structured and that regulations are not systematically enforced. At the same time, hospitals are making greater use of measures designed to compensate for shortfalls in doctors’ working hours, notably overtime and locum work. The task force emphasises the need to better organise and manage medical resources, both at the hospital and regional levels.

The report’s proposals are organised around three main areas: improving understanding of doctors’ working hours through data; better planning and managing medical resources, particularly in public hospitals and at regional level; and evaluating and developing organisational structures, professional collaborations and digital tools likely to increase the amount of clinical time actually devoted to patients.