£3m for new nurses at Dudley Hospitals

More than £3 million will be spent on recruiting extra nurses at Dudley's hospitals to improve the service for patients, bosses have announced.

Bosses at the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Russells Hall Hospital, also want to reduce the need for expensive agency staff.

In a report presented to Dudley Council's health scrutiny committee last night, Paula Clark, chief executive of the trust, said nurses and doctors will be placed at the heart of sweeping changes, aimed at improving patient care across the group.

Mrs Clark said: "The Dudley Group is investing £3.1 million in nursing staff over the coming months, employing additional nurses to achieve the most effective level and skill set of staff for our patients."

The trust will be taking their recruitment drive overseas, as well as taking on local nurses, in a bid to enhance 'ward-based nurse leadership'.

Councillor Rachel Harris, cabinet member for health, said she was glad to see bosses at the trust take a different route to dealing with financial constraints after it was revealed earlier this year the trust had a £6.7 million deficit.

She said: "They have got severe financial constraints and I am pleased that the path they have chosen to take is to use staffing and clinical care, which is a better way than going for the cutting of budgets."

An Express & Star report earlier this year revealed agency costs at the trust had tripled to more than £2 million, and the report states the trust aim to 'eradicate agency spend'.

Councillor Harris added: "Agency staffing is quite contentious in the NHS.

"There are times that you do have to use agency staff, but it is far better to have trained local nurses because it is more clinically acceptable."

Councillor Steve Waltho, deputy mayor of Dudley and a former governor at Russells Hall Hospital, said the intake of extra nurses in desperately needed.

He said: "Investment in nursing staff is desperately needed because they are the people that care for you – I think it's great news.

"I had heard in the background that there may be some investment in nurses but wasn't completely sure, so this is fantastic news," the councillor added.

He believes the trust will have to go overseas to recruit new nurses, but only after taking on local nurses first. He added:"I am 100 per cent sure – after recruiting first of all from our own country – that the trust will look abroad."

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust has previously pledged to bring in more nurses at Walsall Manor Hospital to relieve pressure.