§ Mr. NormanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the minimum number 351W of specialist registrars necessary to provide 24-hour resident cover in acute hospitals in compliance with the Working Time Directive. [109137]
§ Mr. HuttonWhile the number of doctors on an individual rota will generally have to increase, the intention of the Department's guidance—HSC 2003/001 "Protecting Staff, Delivering Services—Implementing the European Working Time Directive for Doctors in Training"—is that trusts should find ways to reduce the number of resident rotas. Thus, the total staffing requirement does not increase substantially as a result of the Working Time Directive.