Meeting the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) 2009 is a funny old game, however Skills for Health - Workforce Projects Team recently scored a unique hat trick by taking their top of the table knowledge, resources and tools to three top Premier League grounds, as well as the home of lower league battlers Walsall FC.
6th March 2009
The Reebok Stadium in Bolton was the first venue in WPT’s football ground tour for the Skills for Health regional conference. Tim Lund, programme lead EWTD, Workforce Projects Team presented a workshop on organisational support for workforce planning with a focus on the EWTD.
The event also saw presentations from Claire Pratt, WTD project manager at the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen NHS Trust, together with Rishi Diwan, Jenny Harrop and Maria Breslin from NHS North West.
24th March 2009
The tour then headed to the 'European Capital of Trophies', Manchester United’s Old Trafford Stadium for the North West EWTD conference. A day of innovative ideas to help manage the change that EWTD requires took place with solution sharing presentations from Mike Farrar at NHS North West and Clare Chapman, director general of workforce for the NHS and social care.
As Alan Shearer was named the new Newcastle United manager, healthcare staff from across the UK gathered at the St James' Park, not to offer their congratulations to the new leader of the black and white army but to discuss EWTD in the region. The main speakers at the afternoon workshop to discuss the North East and national perspectives of EWTD 2009 included Rob White, portfolio manager and Professor Aidan Mulligan, director of nursing and patient safety, NHS North East, Derek Marshall, recruitment project director, Northern Deanery and Jill Smith, WTD and employment manager, NHS North East.
11th April 2009
The Bescott Stadium was the venue for the final event in WPT's football ground tour, chaired by Maggie Bayley, assistant director of nursing and EWTD programme lead at NHS West Midlands, and featured an evaluation of national EWTD pilots by Peter Spurgeon, professor in clinical healthcare management at Warwick Medical School.
Working Time Directive 2009 
