David I. Gozzard, MD, MBA, Medical Director, Conwy and Denbighshire NHS Trust, UK

      The Hospital at Night (H@N) project in the UK is being widely introduced as a response to the manpower restrictions of the European Working Time Directive. The reduction in medical time, particularly for out-of-hours cover, is necessitating innovative approaches to delivery of a 24x7 clinical service. This session will describe the H@N project and its ramifications for clinical handoffs, training, acquisition of competencies, and HR issues.
      After this presentation you will be able to:

• Describe the concept of clinical service delivery in the H@N project.
• Discuss the interrelationship of the H@N project and clinical handoffs, competencies, and teamwork.
• Explain the human resource issues involved in introducing the H@N approach.