Skills for Health - Workforce Projects Team supported by the BMA and NHS London will be highlighting practical solutions to EWTD compliance at a conference in London on Friday 15th May.

Journalist and broadcaster John Humphrys will facilitate the debate.

Leading clinicians who have been involved in the delivery of the EWTD will be speaking, leading workshops and taking questions throughout the day. These clinicians include keynote speaker Miss Wendy Reid, clinical advisor to NHS London and the Department of Health on the European Working Time Directive. Speakers from the British Medical Association (BMA) are Shreelata Datta, vice president of the Junior Doctors Committee and Keith Brent, BMA Consultants Committee. Other experts presenting on the day include Bram Jacobs, president, Dutch Junior Doctors Society for a European perspective.

You can find further details and register for your workshops here >>>

A Compendium of Solutions for EWTD will shortly be available, which will support trusts with implementing sustainable EWTD solutions as August 2009 approaches. Aimed at clinicians, HR staff and managers it brings together key EWTD materials and resources which will be crucial for trusts currently implementing EWTD. The Compendium includes information on and links to EWTD pilot project reports and evaluation, rota design and guidance on preserving training in the 48 hour week.

Learning from the independent evaluation of the EWTD 2009 pilots programme continues to be disseminated through the Securing Change, Identifying Options and EWTD six case study booklets. The full evaluation report is being published in time for the 15th May EWTD Conference in London. Workforce Projects Team takes this opportunity to thank the research team from West Midlands Deanery and Birmingham and Warwick Universities for their important work and for sharing learning to help EWTD solutions across the country.

The three documents already published can be accessed here >>>

The evaluation report will be available on this page by 15th May.

Please read the reports for yourself. Some of the key learning is summarised below:

• Know the Service to be delivered and build the solution around the patients, not directives
• Clinical engagement, leadership and board level commitment vital
• Project management is a partnership between the project manager and clinicians in taking forward solutions
• Inter-org/multi-site solutions are sensitive and complex
• EWTD compliance is achievable.

The primary focus of EWTD is health and safety legislation and it is as such that it has been in force across the EU for all groups of workers, with a few exceptions such as Doctors in Training, since 1998. The exemption which allowed Doctors in Training a longer period of time to reduce their working hours down to 48 per week ends at the beginning of August 2009. The research undertaken at the University of Warwick in conjunction with Coventry and Warwick Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust shows that less tiered doctors make fewer errors in the care they give to patients and that their pattern of working, along with the number of hours which they work each week, make a significant contribution to improved health and safety for both patients and doctors.

This is relevant for:

• CEOs
• FDs
• HR Directors
• Medical staffing
• medical directors
• IT/Technical Directors
• clinical leads/consultants
• nurse directors.

Click here to find out more >>>