Posted 25 April 2018 - 09:23
Posted 25 April 2018 - 09:23
News
Nursing home recruitment offer of a holiday and car proves popular
‘Golden hello’ at Scarborough nursing home appears to be paying off
‘Golden hello’ at Scarborough nursing home appears to be paying off
A nursing home that adopted a novel approach to recruiting nurses has found potential candidates a few days into its campaign.
Saint Cecilia’s Nursing Home in Scarborough is offering to send nurse recruits on a fortnight's holiday to Spain, Portugal or Italy – before they even start their new jobs, in an attempt to address a recruitment crisis.
It launched its ‘golden hello’ package last Saturday during a care home open day and now has half a dozen potential candidates.
Car offer
As well as the holiday it is offering a car, a £31,000 salary, coverage of Nursing and Midwifery Council registration fees and other benefits in a bid to fill four nursing vacancies.
Managing director Mike Padgham said recruiting good nursing staff was ‘the hardest it has been in living memory’, but felt the welcome package had caught nurses’ imagination.
He said: ‘We've already got some candidates lined up for interview just a few days into the campaign. We’ve been pleased with the response.’
Saint Cecilia’s is looking to recruit at least two new registered nurses to work at the home, which provides nursing care for up to 44 residents with acute and life-limiting illnesses.
Rota gaps
The shortage of nurses in the independent sector reflects that in the NHS, with many care homes reliant on agency staff to fill gaps in rotas.
- RELATED: Crisis in the care home sector
An RCN survey last autumn obtained details of 1,829 shifts in care homes. It showed that 18% of the homes had a shortfall of one or more registered nurses and 24% of nurses they used were bank or agency staff.
Leeds care home Donisthorpe Hall was forced to close its nursing wing in February because of staff shortages, while days later Hawkesgarth Lodge care home in Whitby, not far from Scarborough, closed, blaming a national shortage of trained nursing and care staff.
The RCN estimates there are up to 40,000 nursing vacancies in England.
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