Medical migration within Europe: opportunities and challenges.

The free movement of European citizens to live and work within the European Union (EU) is one of the fundamental pillars of the European single market. Recent EU legislation on the recognition of professional qualifications (to take effect January 2016) updates the framework within which doctors and others can migrate freely between EU member states to practise their profession. UK organisations lobbied extensively to change aspects of the original proposals, in particular those that threatened to 'water down' public protection in the interest of free movement. The legislation finally adopted significantly increases safeguards for patients and the public. The revised law covers the rules to be applied by regulators on (for example) assuring language competence, warning 'blacklists' of practitioners subject to sanctions, 'fast track' registration based on mutual recognition of professional qualifications, agreed minimum education and training requirements for mutual recognition, and encouragement of continuing professional development. Drafting of detailed secondary legislation is ongoing and poses opportunities and challenges for patient safety, quality of care and transparency.

Legal protection for healthcare workers from sharps injuries.

The implementation of the sharps directive is the result of a negotiated agreement at European level between employers' organisations and trade unions. In the UK, NHS Employers, health service unions--including Unison and the Royal College of Nursing--and others have worked with the Health and Safety Executive to try to ensure that the new rules are workable at local level.