I will now give some background to the task force so that we know where we are going in relation to the development of hospital services. Among the key developments required in the development of medical staffing in the coming years are: the provision of a consultant-provided, rather than a consultant-led service; the implementation of EU requirements that non-consultant hospital doctors should work no longer than an average of 48 hours per week by 2009; and the achievement of a range of improvements in medical training and education.