£4 million NHS recruitment drive unveiled

Tuesday, 2 March 2004 12:00 AM

A £4 million recruitment campaign for the NHS has been launched by health secretary John Reid.

The "join the team and make a difference" TV and press campaign has received the backing of health service unions.

Launching the recruitment drive, Dr Reid explained that the aim of the advertisements was to persuade former health professionals to join the NHS again, as well as encourage new staff to join the health service.

The campaign uses the voices of real NHS staff. In one advert, to be screened on television, a young man with epilepsy is shown falling down a flight of stairs. Voices illustrate how many NHS workers were involved in his subsequent care.

The television recruitment drive aims to attract workers into all jobs across the NHS, while press adverts will focus specifically on those areas where there are staff shortages, such as midwifery and radiography.

More than 80,000 people contact the national NHS careers helpline following last year's campaign.

Dr Reid said: "We are confident that this new campaign will be as successful as previous years and that it will attract interest from new staff into a range of different careers as well as encourage ex-healthcare professionals to return to the NHS.

The health secretary also stressed the importance of offering benefits that would improve the lives of current staff and encourage them to stay.

"Initiatives such as more flexible working options, better and more supported career structures, family friendly practices, career breaks and access to childcare co-ordinators, along with the new pay structure Agenda for Change, are all playing their part in encouraging retention of existing staff," he said.

However, Dr Reid admitted that, although there had been increased investment and "huge progress" in the NHS over the past few years there were also "huge deficiencies" in certain areas of the NHS.

"We need more radiologists, we need more nurses, we need more health professionals," he surmised.

James Johnson, chairman of the British Medical Association, said: "More doctors and nurses mean a better service for patients, and I hope this campaign gets people interested in careers in the NHS."

Royal College of Nursing general secretary Beverly Malone added: "An imaginative and compelling campaign, which shows what you achieve as a member of the healthcare team is a powerful recruitment tool."

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