Massive recruitment campaign for Hartlepool nurses pays off - and there’s still time to get in touch

A shortage of nurses has been solved by Hartlepool’s health trust thanks to a new recruitment drive.
By Chris Cordner
Published 4th Feb 2019, 05:00 BST
Updated 7th Feb 2019, 16:18 BST
A new-look recruitment drive has helped to slash vacancy levels at the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust.A new-look recruitment drive has helped to slash vacancy levels at the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust.
A new-look recruitment drive has helped to slash vacancy levels at the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust.

Monthly recruitment events were held by the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and it led to a 95% drop in vacancies.

Bosses said they were welcoming more nurses through the doors than ever before.

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A new-look recruitment drive has helped to slash vacancy levels at the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust.A new-look recruitment drive has helped to slash vacancy levels at the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust.
A new-look recruitment drive has helped to slash vacancy levels at the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust.

And the applicants themselves said they preferred the new approach over the traditional face to face interviews.

They enjoyed spending the day with the clinical teams and having chances to showcase their knowledge, skills, and values.

In December 2017 the Trust had vacancies for almost 100 band 5 registered nurses. But now, there are only five Band 5 nurse vacancies across all disciplines.

And by recruiting more nurses, the Trust has spent less on registered bank and agency staff. That has helped to improve Hartlepool and North Tees’ abilities to handle winter pressures on the NHS.

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Assistant Director of Nursing Emma Roberts said: “The recruitment centres are a direct result of the hard work of many individuals from across the Trust. 
“This innovation has led to a huge reduction in our nursing vacancies, giving us a more resilient workforce and providing patients with continuity of care.”

But the recruitment drive is not over and Emma added: “If you’re reading this and looking to join the Trust, get in touch! 
“It’s a really exciting time to join us, our services are transforming every day - it’s great to have even more people on board with us.”

The whole turnaround came after staff identified a need to revamp the recruitment process, to ensure that staff felt valued from their first point of contact with the organisation and ensure that the process as a whole was more joined up.

A mock recruitment centre was carried out using staff members from all areas as well as student nurses - and it was a great success.

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Feedback showed that the centre provided opportunities for people to showcase their skills and it also provided a great platform for networking.

After that, a real recruitment centre was launched in February last year and the team have since held them on a monthly basis.

Related topics:HartlepoolNHS