The pilot at Airedale Hospital was originally aimed at developing a means of splitting the urgent & emergency patients who would be cared for by the 'TUSKER' team and the specialist & elective patients who would be cared for by the 'SPECTOR' teams. Both teams would work within the constraints of EWTD and incorporate generic working across specialties at sub consultant level.
Airedale Hospital serves a population of about 225,000 with significant deprivation in some areas and greater than expected numbers of older people in a mixed urban/rural setting with no tertiary services. The Trust is acknowledged to have a low doctor to patient ratio but has a stable local workforce providing all staff apart from doctors. The Trust has a good record on delivering on patient orientated targets.
Although the trials of a generic TUSKER team were successful the plans to implement this approach across the whole Trust were abandoned when it failed to gain the support of all specialities. The pilot was then revised to take into account the concerns of the consultants and implemented in August 2008 with the support of a nurse led Acute Care Team, cross cover at F1 in Medicine & Surgery, ward based Doctors in General and Elderly Medicine and a combined junior & middle level rota, and, the appointment of two Consultant Acute Physicians.
Working Time Directive 2009 
