1052 people throughout the midlands who have worked in the Covid-19 vaccination programme, have decided to stay on within the National Health Service, working in various other roles. This represents a major boost to the overall workforce within the region. Those that have stayed on have transitioned into supporting medical teams, boosting patient experience and even studying for clinical roles themselves.
Eleanor Barraclough, who worked for the vaccine programme after being furloughed from her job in the pub industry and is now part of the Midlands communications team said:
“When I was furloughed, I knew I wanted to help the NHS out in any way I could. I joined the NHS vaccination programme in January 2021 and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.
The expanded workforce will help the NHS tackle the elective backlog as services bounce back across the country and help patients get the best care possible as quickly as possible. The NHS has ensured availability within its services for those that had an active involvement with the much-needed support during the pandemic. This huge focus on workforce retention has reciprocated the support that has been shown to the health service at one of the most trying times during its operational history.
Gillian aged 51, worked in financial services before a change in circumstances meant she had more spare time. Gillian volunteered at her local vaccination site before securing a Personal Assistant role within the Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s Executive Department.
Matthew Day, the NHS England and NHS Improvement director responsible for Specialised Commissioning and Health and Justice across the Midlands, said:
“It’s great that over 1,000 people across the Midlands have remained in the health service after helping deliver the most successful NHS vaccination programme in history.
“Thousands took up the call to get jabs in arms across the region and it is fantastic that so many have decided to stay with us in another capacity, taking on one of the many rewarding roles across the health service.
“With more than 350 different roles within the NHS – there are roles for everyone so please search NHS careers today, if you are interested in joining us too."
Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust and Joined Up Care Derbyshire hosted a successful drop-in career event specifically for vaccination programme staff and volunteers at Midland House Vaccination Centre, Derby. The event was designed for staff to learn more about services delivered across Derbyshire and explore career pathways available to them in the NHS.
Tracy Allen, Chief Executive of Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust (DCHS), said:
“We held a successful recruitment event to encourage people who’ve been working flexibly as part of the vaccination programme into roles within Joined Up Care Derbyshire, our local health and care system."