The NHS is launching its annual recruitment drive as it aims to fill the tens of thousands of vacancies affecting services across England.
As part of the We are the NHS recruitment campaign, real life patients will share their stories of how nursing roles have enriched their lives and aided them in their road to recovery, ultimately highlighting the depth and breadth of nursing roles available across the health system.
Adverts will run across a wide range of mediums including on-demand services, social media channels, radio and even in the cinema as the NHS looks to draw attention to the value of nurses after a new survey revealed that eight in 10 people reported that nurses have made a positive impact on their lives.
Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer for England, said: “Nursing is a life-changing profession where no two days are ever the same, and I would encourage anyone with a passion for making a difference to people’s lives to consider a career as a nurse.
“From life-saving tests and checks and delivering millions of Covid and flu vaccinations, to getting people back on their feet as the NHS cuts 18 month waits and cares for the thousands of seriously ill patients in hospitals and across our communities, nurses play a vital role.
“As we approach the winter months and NHS services gear up to manage higher demand, it’s clear the difference that nurses make to the health service every day, and I urge anyone considering a career where they want to really make a difference to find out more.
“I am so proud to be a nurse in the NHS and so proud of every single colleague who has risen to the challenges facing the health service in recent years to continue to deliver the very best care to patients and their families. It truly is one of the most rewarding jobs you can do.
“From mental health to A&E, community and children’s services – there are countless roles, specialisms and opportunities across the nursing profession which all make an invaluable contribution to patients and the NHS and social care every day, so if you are considering beginning a career in nursing, I know we will have the right role waiting for you.”
NHS recruitment campaigns in conjunction with extra investment in degrees and placements have led to a surge of applicants to healthcare degrees with the latest figures indicating that nursing applications have increased by more than a quarter since 2019.
Incidentally, the latest figures also show that nursing degrees offer extremely good employment prospects up and down the country, with 94% of graduates able to find jobs within six months, helping the NHS fill almost 47,000 roles across nursing, midwifery and other health positions that are vacant across England.
More information on the recruitment drive is available here.
