To coincide with its 70th birthday the NHS has launched its biggest recruitment drive ever. Focused initially on nurses the campaign will feature TV and radio advertising, posters and social media. It will primarily target school children, aged 14-18.
The £8 million campaign, funded by NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, will highlight the vast range of opportunities available in the NHS for potential new recruits, prioritising key areas including mental health, learning disability and community and general practice nurses and will help deliver the long term plan for the NHS.
The head of analysis at NHS Providers, Phillippa Hentsch, says: “Recruiting and retaining the right level of staff is now the biggest issue for NHS trusts. There are around 36,000 nursing vacancies alone so national action and funding for this recruitment drive is very welcome."
Professor Jane Cummings, Chief Nursing Officer for England, says: “The NHS is our country’s most loved institution and that is down to the expert skill, dedication and compassion of its brilliant staff. There are over 350 careers available within the NHS giving young people an astonishing range of options."
Speaking at the HEFMA Forum in May, Fiona Daly, the Lead for Estates & Facilities at NHS Improvement, confirmed that the workforce is a priority and announced a new programme would launch later this year. It would, she said, focus on attracting people into estates and facilities within the NHS, staff retention, development and succession planning.
