We’ve had a couple of commenters on this site refer to the European Working Time Directive (EWTD), a topic which has been the subject of much discussion within the NHS and in the House of Commons. You may have noticed back on June 25th that the Health Secretary Andy Burnham announced that all junior doctor rotas will be compliant with the requirements of EWTD by 1st August 2009:

The overwhelming majority of UK doctors in training will comply with the Working Time Directive by 1st August this year. This is great news for patients and NHS staff as it will improve patient safety and the work-life balance of junior doctors. People will remember the stories of junior doctors working 80-hour weeks. Those days are gone for good to the benefit of all concerned.

Around three per cent of services, however, still need more time fully to implementent the Directive – whether because those services are currently undergoing redesign, or because Trusts relatively removed from large population centres have more difficult recruiting. The UK will use the derogation provision where necessary, but remains committed to enabling all junior doctors to work and train in compliance with the EWTD.

An independent scrutiny panel reviewed all services requiring derogation. The panel was chaired by Dr Judith Hulf, President of the Royal College of Anaesthetists and joint chair of the EWTD Reference Group, and also included representatives from the Royal Colleges, BMA, SHAs and NHS Employers. Services covered included those delivering 24-hour immediate patient care, supra specialist services and units in rural and isolated areas.

All this nevertheless represents a huge step forward in adoption of the Directive. There is uncertainty in some quarters that the EWTD will allow junior doctors to do their jobs; our position is that it will allow them to do it better. For instance, National Clinical Director for the European Working Time Directive, Dr Wendy Reid said: “Tired doctors are not safe doctors so this is excellent news for patient safety. We are also concerned for our workforce and the hours they work, so we are delighted that they will have an improved work life balance.” The EWTD will thus help us achieve quality, not prevent it.