Heartbeat: Elderly care welcomes new blood as team hosts recruitment day

October 15, 2019

As part of our organisation’s ongoing recruitment efforts, City Hospital hosted a recruitment day this month looking for additional Band 5 staff nurses to join a team which has a focus on dealing with the needs of more elderly patients.

The weather was more than a little confused on 12 September. Blue skies or overcast? Rain or shine? Luckily inside the Postgraduate Centre there were plenty of bright and breezy colleagues ready to welcome curious newcomers or the intrigued but unfamiliar looking to find out more about what makes the acute elderly care team tick.

It is an exciting time in elderly care as our team are at the start of putting a focus on frailty, introducing new competencies for our staff nurses with the Clinical Frailty Scale in mind. As well as incorporating new training to challenge and enhance their skillsets. Frailty is a featured part of the NHS long term plan and a subject that will become ever more important within our ageing population.

Amir Ali, Head of Engagement, Retention and Nurse Recruitment, told Heartbeat that there was interest from the moment the doors opened.

“We had people waiting for us at the door, which was great to see and as we speak there are potential candidates speaking with colleagues and getting interviews.”

And, by the time we had finished discussing the matter with Amir, the team had acquired their first new staff member on conditional offer.

“I came to this event and it was literally amazing,” future colleague Seena told Heartbeat. “I got to meet the sister in charge and managers who were very welcoming. They gave me exact information about how the elderly ward is run at City Hospital and Sandwell Hospital and gave me a run down on what to expect in the future. I’m happy I was able to come here today and be accepted.”

Seena will join other newcomers on D11 and D26 wards at City Hospital or Lyndon 4 and 5 at Sandwell.