A priority for the task force was to ensure that, as it studied the measures needed to develop a modern, efficient and patient centred hospital service, sight was not lost of the value of keeping services at the heart of local communities. In order to meet the requirements of the European Working Time Directive and to deliver a better service to patients, the task force has made certain recommendations. It has set out a series of immediate measures to reduce the working hours of junior doctors to 58 hours per week by 1 August 2004. It has concluded that the only way to address reductions in the working hours of junior doctors while providing high quality patient care into the future is to introduce a consultant provided service. It has argued that a full range of acute hospital services should be available within each region, so that patients should not have to travel beyond it other than for services that are best provided at supra-regional or national level. It has recommended investment in local hospitals to provide more services for patients, including elective medical and surgical procedures, out-patient services, pre-natal and post-natal maternity services and better access to diagnostic facilities.