The phrase ‘hospital services delivering 24 hours, immediate patient care’ was used in the United Kingdom governments’ notification to the European Commission of the intention to take up the option of a derogation under Article 17(5) of the European Working Time Directive (EWTD). The phrase was recommended by the national EWTD Reference Group as the most appropriate descriptor to identify those services most likely to be challenged in implementing rotas for a 48 hour week for doctors in training from 1 August. There is no central collection of data, nor central definition of immediate care beds.