Taskforce will examine effects of European Working Time Directive
BMJ 2013; 347 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f6177 (Published 11 October 2013) Cite this as: BMJ 2013;347:f6177
- Caroline White, freelance journalist, London
The government has set up an independent taskforce to review the effects of the European Working Time Directive on doctors’ training and the continuity of care.1
The Royal College of Surgeons, a longstanding critic of the directive’s effect on the quality of surgical training,2 will lead the review. The taskforce includes representatives of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the BMA, the NHS Confederation, Health Education England, and patients’ and trainee doctors’ groups. It will report to the health secretary in January 2014.
The review will look at how the directive has been implemented, including associated court judgments and contractual arrangements, and whether reduced working hours have affected the continuity of patient care and opportunities for doctors’ training. It aims to identify the areas of medicine most affected by the implementation of the regulations and to pinpoint examples of best practice. It will then attempt to draw up practical solutions for mitigating the effects of the directive while ensuring that doctors get the training and experience they need.
Norman Williams, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said that he was pleased to be involved in such “a vital piece of work.” He said, “There is a need for a deeper examination of the evidence on the impact and implementation of the reduced working hours on the delivery of care and training of doctors. The formation of this group will allow this.”
Dean Royles, chief executive of NHS Employers and interim chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said that good workforce planning and sensible rules in making the directive manageable were essential. “The debate must focus on how to get the best care from appropriate working hours,” he said.
England’s health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said, “No one wants to go back to the bad old days of tired doctors working excessive hours, but when senior clinicians tell us this directive’s implementation is harming patient safety and doctors’ training, it’s right that we take another look at it.”
The government has made it clear that it would like to limit the application of the directive. But talks that began in November 2011 between the European Commission and employers and unions over amending the directive broke down before the 31 December 2012 deadline for reaching an agreement.3