Open Days help boost nurse recruitment in Blackpool

Carla Jackson

Another successful recruitment event has been held recently at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to give staff an opportunity working in arguably the busiest areas in the hospital.

The Unscheduled Care Division manages patients with unplanned care and covers a wide range of wards, including Intensive Care, the Emergency Department and the Acute Medical Unit.

Helen Sherlock, Recruitment Sister for Unscheduled Care said: “The event was hugely successful as our senior nurses were able to interview potential recruits during the open day and this enables us to get staff on the shop floor quickly.”

We interviewed 22 people and we are delighted to be able to expand our workforce.

“It was great to have so many nurses representing our division and giving students the answers they need about what it is actually like working in these areas.”

Carla Jackson represented Ward 10 as a staff nurse. She initially joined Blackpool Teaching Hospitals following a recruitment event she attended two years ago when she was a student.

She said: “When I attended an open day I had my heart set on working in the Acute Medical Unit. But before I could work there, I worked on Ward 10, a respiratory ward to gain some experience.

“After a year working on this ward I felt really settled and I’m so happy there! I’m so pleased I came to the recruitment afternoon and I think it’s such a good opportunity to come to an informal and approachable event.”

Director of Nursing, Pete Murphy, attended the event to welcome new nurses to the workforce and to thank our current staff for their efforts to make the event the success it was.

He said: “It’s so lovely to be part of successful events and to give our nurses the opportunity to inspire future nurses to join our teams.

“I’m delighted to see new faces around our wards very soon and these events really do prove this is a great way to recruit nurses to our Trust.”

 

Posted in Excellence, Home Page, Positive, Press Releases.