New appeal to join Shropshire nurse bank

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which runs Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, has made the call.

It follows the launch of a campaign in October 2017, which included adverts on the back of buses and targeted email and social media activity.

Winter is a busy time for hospitals, with February being one of the busiest months, and Sath wants to reduce further its reliance on agency nurses by increasing its own bank of staff who can either work regularly or who can pick up shifts at short notice.

Bank nursing is often seen as desirable due to the flexibility it can offer.

Because bank workers can access the NHS Pension scheme and other benefits, the overall remuneration package is on a par with many agencies.

Deirdre Fowler, director of nursing, midwifery and quality at SaTH, said: “Like trusts across the country, SaTH uses agency staff to ensure we have enough people on duty to provide safe care for our patients.

“We would much rather use our own bank staff as much as possible, not just because of the premiums that agencies charge, but because bank staff provide better continuity of care for our patients.”

For more information visit jobs.sath.nhs.uk/find-job/bank-staff?track=nursebank