HOSPITAL staff in East London have been short-listed this week for a second prestigious national award. The Homerton has been nominated for the Health Service Journal innovation’ award, being presented on November 30, in recognition of its on-duty hours for junior doctors to meet the EU Working Time’ directive

HOSPITAL staff in East London have been short-listed this week for a second prestigious national award.

The Homerton has been nominated for the Health Service Journal innovation’ award, being presented on November 30, in recognition of its on-duty hours for junior doctors to meet the EU Working Time’ directive.

This restricts the weekly hours of junior doctors, notorious in the past for working them till they dropped.

The Homerton has complied with the directive for two years since a new system of admissions was set up in 2007.

Patient flows’ were separated into those for routine treatment streamed through one admission area, while those needing emergency admissions were streamed through Acute Care staffed by doctors, specialist nurses and therapists.

The unit was designed to care for patients for the first 48 hours, during which time they could be assessed and transferred to a ward or allowed home.

The hospital won an award last year for reducing health inequalities’ for its work in reducing infant mortalities in a deprived area with some of London’s highest levels of baby deaths.