Trust launches New Year nurse recruitment campaign

A NHS trust is beginning the New Year with a campaign to recruit more nurses.

Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust has vacancies in general medicine, surgery and community as well as for nurses with specialist experience in anaesthetics and spinal injuries.

“The Trust uses some brilliant agency nurses but we need a big injection of staff nurses who work only for us,” said Angela Kelly, Interim Director of Nursing and Quality.

“We have opportunities for nurses starting their NHS career, nurses wanting to return to practice and nurses looking to make that next move. What counts is you’re passionate about giving high quality compassionate care and share our values.

“We also offer flexible working arrangements, a supportive structured 18-month preceptorship for newly qualified nurses and a development programme for experienced nurses.”

The Trust recently recruited 10 nurses from Romania to start in February who will join nurses from Portugal who arrived at Southport hospital in summer 2013.

Angela said: “Many of the Portuguese nurses have stayed with us and become valued members of staff. We were equally impressed with the quality of the candidates we interviewed in Romania.

“Recruiting nurses is tremendously challenging for all NHS organisations but I believe we offer something special that makes this Trust particularly appealing.

“Southport and Ormskirk was among the first NHS trusts to offer truly integrated care to patients with community nursing teams leading the way in shaping, challenging and championing care delivered in the community.

“It works for our patients because many of them now get to stay at home and stay out of hospital, and it works for our nurses because the job is more rewarding as a result.”

Nurses interested in finding out more should contact Angela on 01704 705255 or Carol Fowler, Interim Assistant Director of Nursing, at carol.fowler@nhs.net for information about the Trust, the Nurse Workforce Strategy, the wards and departments and how the Trust progresses and develops nursing skills and careers. Interviews will be held on Friday 30^th January.