Nearly 100 nurses set to be taken on at Sandwell and City Hospitals

Nurses could start work at Sandwell and City Hospitals within weeks after job offers were made at a recruitment event.

A total of 95 conditional offers were made after 110 people were interviewed.

Trust chiefs have been battling to get the number of vacancies down at its two hospitals.

At the start of the year there were more than 200 nursing positions available, while bosses have also targeted spending less on agency staff.

Deputy chief nurse at the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, Paul Hooton, said: “The day was a huge success and we have successfully handed out 95 conditional job offers.

“It’s been amazing to meet so many enthusiastic nurses who want to work for our trust. They were impressed with what we have to offer, through from training to staff benefits.

“We hope to build on this successful event, and as a result have more recruitment days lined up over the coming months.

“It means that we can look at making a significant increase within our nursing workforce.

”What also struck me was the sense of pride and achievement within the nursing workforce throughout the day. There was a real buzz and community spirit amongst everyone.”

The recruitment day was held at City Hospital in Birmingham.

The event saw various specialists showcasing their work across the organisation, including from cardiology, stroke and neurology, apprenticeships and paediatrics.

The trust has set itself a target of cutting agency spend spend by a massive £10 million by next April.

Struggles to fill nursing vacancies meant the hospitals were forced to draft in temporary workers, particularly during busy periods.

The problem was exacerbated by significant pressure on the A&E department during winter and higher than expected sickness levels.