Resident Shift Working Consultants

In 2009, Greater Manchester Children, Young People and Families’ NHS Network undertook the expansion of a consultant-delivered service using a ‘Resident Shift Work Consultant (RSWC) work plan’. The public consultation decision to this reconfiguration was to reduce the number of 24 hour consultant-led units for paediatric and maternity services in the Greater Manchester area from 12 to a maximum of eight, and to increase the number of neonatal intensive care units from two to three. This reduction in in-patient units enabled the consolidation of scarce workforce on fewer sites thus contributing to the achievement of fully staffed rotas on the eight sites. However, further consultant recruitment was required to meet European Working Time Directive (EWTD) standards, and provide trained doctor presence 24/7.