Mr. Bernard Gloster:

There are a couple of parts to that. The first thing is that we all have to put our hands up and admit and accept that regardless of the pay and numbers strategy, recruitment pauses and inflated recruitment, the working conditions of NCHDs has been very variable and challenged, long before even the European Working Time Directive came in. We all know that. In recent years, the number of NCHDs has exponentially grown.

We do not make an apology for it, but we will not compromise the service or quality of care. We are trying to reduce the number of non-training NCHDs and increase the number of training NCHDs. We have a specific focus in our doctor training programme. I have given specific commitments to the NCHD task force review to make as many improvements as we possibly can. It is a slow-burner, I will be honest, because we have to balance not just the European working time directive but safe care and the quality of training for doctors versus non-training doctors who just move around the system.