We call it NHS ReDirect for rather obvious reasons... I must remember to do a big post about it... As for the shift system, it depends which station you work at, some have 12 hour shifts, some have 8 and 10 hour shifts while most have a mixture of the two. You can't be made to work more than 4 12 hour shifts on the trot, and there is another rule that I forget, something about 7 8 hour shifts or something. I don't mind the shift system, but then I used to work shifts that I'd sometimes only know about a week in advance and I'd be on for 14 days... So after that any shift system is better. The 'relief rota' that people start on is actually quite nice - you can end up having a fortnight off during every 10 week period if you work a lot of 12 hour shifts. Personally I work a mixture of 12,8,10 and 11 hour shifts - and am kept busy during all of them. Our station has a reputation for having a crap shift pattern, but I'm kinda used to it - but not so much that I wouldn't change it if I had the chance.