News and Policy :

EU Highlights

A selection of RCP activities in Brussels.

The College's EU Government Affairs Advisor is Paul Belcher: pbelcher@euhealth.org

• European Commission Presents EU Health Strategy at RCP Dr Bernard Merkel (DG SANCO) presented the strategy to representatives of the RCP, government and UK healthcare organisations (27th November 2007).
• RCP European Alcohol Conference. "Reducing the Harm Caused by Alcohol: A Coordinated European Response". See the agenda and conference charter (13th November 2007)
• RCP supports existing EU wide ban on ‘Snus’ smokeless tobacco (October 2007)
• European Health Forum, Austria (3-7 October 2007) RCP led session on "Healthy Futures"
• RCP Roundtable in Brussels on EU Nutrition Strategy. Organised jointly with the College of Europe's Centre for Health and Ethics. See the programme, list of participants and report (1 October 2007)
• "Cross Border Healthcare in the EU" (June 20-21)
  RCP presentation to German Health and Medicine Congress 2007 by Paul Belcher
• RCP joins EU Alcohol and Health Forum (7 June 2007)
  RCP joins over 40 European organisations to become founding member
• EU Green Paper on a Smoke-Free Europe: RCP response (5 June 2007)
• RCP Response to EU Consultation on Information to Patients (4 June 2007)
• RCP joins successful lobby on EU Health Services Directive (23 May 2007)
• Dr Nick Sheron gave a presentation (pdf 358k) on behalf of the RCP to the European Parliament's Health Intergroup meeting on "Alcohol in Europe" (25 April 2007)
• European junior doctors who work at night. Read article by RCP lead on the EWTD, Professor Roy Pounder, in the latest Eurohealth magazine (23 April 2007)
• RCP attends planning meeting to set up a multi-stakeholder "EU Alcohol and Health Forum", part of the new EU Alcohol Strategy. The President was represented by Dr Nick Sheron (7 March 2007)
• Response from RCP to EU health strategy consultation (1 March 2007)
• RCP addresses European Parliament hearing in Strasbourg on EU health services (14 February 2007)
• Response from RCP to EU Consultation on Health Services (31 January 2007). Read the background to the consultation.
• Meeting with European Commission President Barroso to discuss future direction of EU (23rd January)
• Response from the RCP and British Cardiovascular Society to EU Consultation on Organ Donation and Transplantation
• EU Consultation on Organ Donation and Transplantation (17 January 2007) The European Commission has published the findings of this consultation which closed in September 2006.
• RCP Brussels Roundtable on EU Health Services (December 6) Organised jointly with the College of Europe's Centre for Health and Ethics in Society to contribute to the EU consultation on health services.
• RCP Calls on European Ministers to act on Obesity (15 November 2006)The RCP has joined European health and consumer organisations in calling on governments to introduce tougher measures to combat overweight and obesity as Health Ministers gather for the first pan European Summit on Obesity in Istanbul today. The RCP is represented by Professor Peter Kopelman, RCP Special Advisor on European Nutrition. (updated Nov 2006)
• European Alcohol Conference (20-22 November) RCP President Ian Gilmore addressed the second annual European Alcohol Conference in Helsinki.View his powerpoint slides (PowerPoint slides, 881k) (updated Nov 2006)
  
• RCP lobbies to support EU Alcohol Strategy RCP President Ian Gilmore has joined calls for the European Commission to defend the draft EU alcohol strategy against intense industry lobbying. Read the letter sent to Health Commissioner Kyprianou on 11 October. (updated October 2006)
  
• Patient Mobility in the European Union A new publication edited by Professor Martin McKee FRCP, RCP Special Advisor on Patient Mobility (updated October 2006)
• European Health Forum (October 2006) RCP European Union Advisor Paul Belcher coordinated a plenary session on health professional migration with speakers from OECD, WHO, the World Medical Association, Federation of European Nursing Associations and the European Commission. Read the keynote presentation by Dr Manuel Dayrit of the World Health Organisation (powerpoint) . Full conference agenda available.
  
• EU action on health services. This consultative document was published by the European Commission on 26 September 2006. The RCP will be responding to this consultation.
• EU consultation on healthy diets and physical activity On 11 September the European Commission presented the results of a public consultation on promoting healthy diets and physical activity. Read the RCP response to this consultation.
  
• UK health challenges: can the EU make a difference? An article based on the above RCP lecture given by European Commission Director-General Robert Madelin is now available. The article is published in the latest edition of 'Clinical Medicine'.
• International Focus July/August 2006 - Features RCP Roundtable in Brussels on EU Nutrition Policy.
  
• International Focus Jan/Feb 2006 - Features RCP European Conferences and RCP meeting of EU Chief Medical Officers.

The Week in Brussels

• See the latest RCP Health Information Digest for this weeks EU health policy news
  

European Working Time Directive (EWTD) news

In this section you will find documents and links related to the College's activities on implementation  of the European Working Time Directive. Most of these documents were first published in the private area for Fellows and subscribing Members of the College.

• Roy Pounder explains some of the problems associated with implementing the EWTD in 2009 in a 15min talk - requires Quicktime
• December 2007 issue of "Calling Time" the Department of Health's quarterly bulletin detailing progress on implementing EWTD changes. (304k PDF)
• Medical Production Line - College Commentary October 2007 (124k, PDF)
• Read The Winter 2007 issue of 'Calling Time' the Department of Health's quarterly bulletin detailing progress on implementing EWTD changes. (929k PDF, Feb 06)
• Patterns of full shift working, using three nine-hour shifts to provide 24-h care (197k, PDF)
• NHS Working Time Directive National Stakeholder Group Statement (18k, PDF)
• Read The autumn 2006 issue of 'Calling Time' the Department of Health's quarterly bulletin detailing progress on implementing EWTD changes. (1.02Mb PDF, Nov 06)
• The specialist registrars’ view by Robert Coward. College Commentary Sept/Oct 2006
• Efficiency of junior physicians must increase by 15% in next three years. College Commentary Sept/Oct 2006
• Who’s for five nine-hour shifts a week? Nicholas Horrocks and Roy Pounder, Clinical Medicine vol 6 no. 5 Sept/Oct 2006
• Results of pilot study of junior medical staffing in 31 English Trusts by the Essex Workforce Consortium (October 06)
• Junior doctors at increased risk of road traffic accidents when commuting by car. RCP press release (October 06)
• Designing safer rotas for junior doctors in the 48-hour week, Nicholas Horrocks and Roy Pounder. (October 2006)
• Hospital at Night and medical staff on call (111k pdf), Robert Coward, Roy Pounder and Nick Horrocks; College Commentary May/June 06.
• New Zealand Junior Doctors - An Analysis of Current Scheduling Practices and Recommendations for the Future (91k, PDF) Christopher P. Landrigan
• Hospital at Night and medical staff on call - p12 May/June 2006 College Commentary (Fellows and Members only)
• NWP and the Working Time Directive 2009 Healthcare Workforce Portal
• The development of a fatigue/risk index for shiftworkers Health and Safety Executive
• Read The Spring 2006 issue of 'Calling Time' the Department of Health's quarterly bulletin detailing progress on implementing EWTD changes. (1.24Mb PDF, Mar 06)
• Working the night shift: preparation, survival and recovery
• Update on European Working Time Directive Negotiations (857k MS Word, Dec 2005)
• Read 'Calling Time' the NHS National Workforce Projects (NWP) quarterly bulletin detailing progress on implementing EWTD changes
• Coping with problems in acute medicine in the post-WTD era - a December 2004 survey of RCP College Tutors in December 2004
• Continuity of care for medical inpatients: standards of good practice (pdf 249k)
• Medical SpRs and the European Working Time Directive results of a survey (December 2004)
• Working the Night Shift - An audit of the experiences and views of specialist registrars working a 13-hour night shift over 7 consecutive nights
• Read issue 10 of 'Calling Time' the Department of Health's quarterly bulletin detailing progress on implementing EWTD changes. (84k PDF, July 04)
• Read issue 9 of 'Calling Time' the Department of Health's quarterly bulletin detailing progress on implementing EWTD changes. (545k PDF, June 04)
• Read issue 8 of 'Calling Time' the Department of Health's quarterly bulletin detailing progress on implementing EWTD changes. (143k PDF, May 04)
• A Compendium of Solutions to implementing the Working Time Directive for Doctors in Training from August 2004 (114k PDF, published May 04)
• Staffing levels in acute medicine in January 2004 - the lead up to the EWTD (228k PDF, published Apr 04)
• Read issue 7 of 'Calling Time' the Department of Health's quarterly bulletin detailing progress on implementing EWTD changes. (170k PDF)
• UK Government's response to the European Commission consultation on EWTD (103k PDF, published Apr 04)
• The Report of the House of Lords Select Committee (sub-committee G) inquiry on EWTD (PDF, published Apr 04)
• Read issue 6 of 'Calling Time' the Department of Health's quarterly bulletin detailing progress on implementing EWTD changes. (304k PDF)
• The transcript of evidence given on March 24 by Ministers from the Departments of Health and Trade and Industry on EWTD, to the House of Commons European Standing Committee C.
• Implementing the European Working Time Directive: A position paper from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (61k PDF)
• The College's submission to the House of Lords (sub-committee G) inquiry on EWTD.
• Read issue 5 of 'Calling Time' the Department of Health's quarterly bulletin detailing progress on implementing EWTD changes. (109k PDF)
• Consultation by European Commission about working time ( closes 31st Mar 2004)
• The development of the Out-of-Hours Medical Team - statement by Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (33k PDF - published December 2003)
• The case for a ‘cell of ten’ to provide 24/7 cover by junior doctors (published Nov 2003)
• Read the November 4th debate in the House of Commons in which Richard Taylor MP put forward the College's and others concerns on EWTD.
• Medical Middle-grade cover in Acute NHS Hospitals in England and Medical Middle-grade cover in Acute NHS Hospitals in Wales (published Summer 2003)
• Findings of two surveys on the Implementation of the European Working Time Directive (280k PDF) in Oct 2002 (published as a supplement to College Commentary Jan/Feb 2003)
• Three papers on the legal , European , and Health and Safety aspects of implementation of the Directive. (1st Quarter 2003)
• Copy of a discussion paper prepared by the College for SMAC (the Standing Medical Advisory Committee of the Department of Health), considering what will actually happen in August 2004. (published Nov 2002)
• A paper prepared by the working group on out of hours cover . (published 2002)
• Department of Health website about the EWTD http://www.doh.gov.uk/workingtime

 

This page last updated on December 4, 2007