At the meeting between my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and Roselyne Bachelot, French Minister for Health and Social Affairs on 14 April, the issue of European working time directive was not discussed. However, at the Informal Meeting of European Union Health Ministers in Slovenia on 17 and 18 April, concerns were raised about the challenges facing health services from the European working time directive.
Local national health service trusts are responsible for implementing the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) as part of their health and safety obligations. The Department has commissioned NHS National Workforce Projects to support local NHS implementation of the EWTD for doctors in training through a range of innovative pilot projects and supporting tools.