MSRA Industry Regulations 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the Working Time Regulations 1998 (as amended for doctors in training), what is the maximum average weekly working hours a trainee doctor can be required to work?
- 48 hours (Correct answer)
- 56 hours
- 60 hours
- 72 hours
Correct answer: 48 hours
The Working Time Regulations cap average weekly hours at 48, averaged over a reference period, for all workers including doctors in training.
Question 2: A patient requests access to their medical records under which piece of legislation?
- Freedom of Information Act 2000
- Access to Health Records Act 1990
- Data Protection Act 2018 / UK GDPR (Correct answer)
- Health and Social Care Act 2012
Correct answer: Data Protection Act 2018 / UK GDPR
Living patients access their own health records as personal data under the Data Protection Act 2018 (UK GDPR), which superseded earlier access legislation for this purpose.
Question 3: Which of the following is a Caldicott Guardian's PRIMARY role within an NHS organisation?
- Investigating data breaches for the ICO
- Protecting patient information and ensuring lawful data sharing (Correct answer)
- Approving all clinical audit projects
- Managing subject access requests
Correct answer: Protecting patient information and ensuring lawful data sharing
The Caldicott Guardian acts as the conscience of the organisation, safeguarding patient information and ensuring it is used appropriately and lawfully.
Question 4: Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which duty does an NHS employer owe to its employees?
- Absolute duty to prevent all workplace harm
- Duty to ensure health, safety and welfare so far as is reasonably practicable (Correct answer)
- Strict liability for all workplace accidents
- Duty to provide equipment at no cost to employees
Correct answer: Duty to ensure health, safety and welfare so far as is reasonably practicable
The Act imposes a duty to ensure health, safety, and welfare 'so far as is reasonably practicable' — a qualified, not absolute, standard.
Question 5: A doctor is concerned about a colleague's fitness to practise due to a substance misuse problem. Which GMC principle is most relevant to their professional obligation?
- Treat patients as individuals and respect their dignity
- Raise and act on concerns about patient safety (Correct answer)
- Maintain and improve your performance
- Communicate effectively
Correct answer: Raise and act on concerns about patient safety
GMC Good Medical Practice requires doctors to act on concerns about a colleague's conduct or health if it puts patients at risk.
Question 6: Which organisation maintains the national database used to confirm that a medical professional is registered and licensed to practise in the UK?
- NHS England
- Care Quality Commission
- General Medical Council (Correct answer)
- NHS Resolution
Correct answer: General Medical Council
The GMC maintains the UK Medical Register, which records all licensed and registered doctors.
Question 7: An NHS trust wishes to share patient identifiable data with a university for research. Under UK GDPR, which legal basis is most commonly relied upon for this type of processing?
- Legitimate interests
- Vital interests
- Public task / public interest (Article 6(1)(e)) combined with health research condition (Correct answer)
- Contractual necessity
Correct answer: Public task / public interest (Article 6(1)(e)) combined with health research condition
Research use of health data typically relies on public task or public interest (Article 6(1)(e)) plus Schedule 1, Part 1 of the DPA 2018 for special category health data.
MSRA Industry Regulations 3
Under the Working Time Regulations 1998 (as amended for doctors in training), what is the maximum average weekly working hours a trainee doctor can be required to work?