Heartbeat: Recruitment goes flexible as COVID-19 continues
September 10, 2020
Although it may be accurate to say the pandemic has thrown the need for more healthcare practitioners around the country into greater relief, the need remains a continuous one no matter where you go. In that regard, the COVID-19 pandemic has not changed matters.
Throughout the last 12 months there have been ten recruitment events ranging in size and scope at our Trust; some for specific departments and areas of care (stroke services, radiography and elderly care as examples), others on a more general scale while some have been focused on key roles. Back in January, you may recall we held a very large nursing recruitment event at the Birmingham Treatment Centre where we welcomed hundreds of people over the day which resulted in a significant number of hires and follow-ups. Our teams were also able to answer questions from several individuals looking to begin their journey into nursing and offer some guidance.
These are, of course, in addition to the general recruitment work we do as a Trust, the work we do in support of training the next generation of nurses and the extra projects we undertake. An example being our Learning and Development team, which is helping health professionals from overseas looking to get back in clinical practice.
COVID-19 has necessitated a change in the way we do recruitment. Over the last month, we have had two ‘virtual’ campaigns taking place – one for theatres and one for medicine and emergency care. These have eschewed the normal event and instead embraced a highly flexible approach, with all interviews done online. This flexibility has also benefitted the departments looking to hire with rotas and roles still affected by the pandemic.
Di Eltringham, Group Director of Nursing for Surgical Services at the organisation, said: “Historically the Trust has always held large in-house recruitment events which have been highly successful. But with the onset of the pandemic we realised that this would not be an option so have decided to take things online.
“We have vacancies to fill, but we want our candidates to get to know us, that’s why we’re offering them virtual coffee with clinical leads, practice development nurses and members of our human resources department before interviews.”
Candidates will be able to find out about the recent investments we have made within our organisation, including a new £1.2 million children’s emergency care unit, training and development opportunities, and the fantastic range of staff benefits on offer.
The Trust is also building the new super hospital, the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital, which will boast the biggest A&E department in Europe, with state-of-the-art equipment. It’s due to open in 2022 and will be a fantastic place to work.
The health and wellbeing of our staff is also very important to us. We have a wellbeing sanctuary for employees where they can access free massages and an energy pod which can be used on breaks, giving staff a chance to relax and rejuvenate whilst they are on shift.
And staff currently working at the Trust will receive a “refer a friend” bonus if their recommended person is hired. There are so many reasons why we want people to join our Trust and we invite prospective candidates to contact us to find out more about what we have to offer.
It is important even during the COVID-19 pandemic to not lose sight of our business as usual, we have a large community to serve and we are cognisant of our need to succession plan,” added Matron of Theatres, Amber Markham. “We are building our team to be the best workforce to move into MMUH and provide the highest quality care to our patients. Surgery will be split over three sites so we need to ensure we have a skilled and flexible workforce to meet the demands of the service. The next 18 months allows us to develop newly appointed candidates to be able to flex across specialties so we can deliver surgery across the organisation.”
The positive atmosphere at the Trust is also seen as an attractive option to those looking to join, often emphasised by teams when recruiting. For example: to quote a colleague who we have recently featured as part of the recruitment campaign it’s “like a big family, we strive to give the best care and it’s a fantastic environment to work in.” Another senior Theatres worker encouraged nurses to apply emphasising how the Trust in a 35+ year career had been “the one to truly invest” in him and his skills as a healthcare practitioner.