Extra nurses taken on at Stafford Hospital
Extra nurses have been taken on at Stafford Hospital to cope with the busy winter months and a planned return to overnight admissions.
Eleven nurses, some of whom will work in emergency care, were snapped up at a recruitment day last month. Bosses are hoping to fill 40 posts in total – and also accept some patients with chest pains or shortness of breath between 10pm and 8am from December.
Director of nursing Colin Ovington said he was "delighted" about the new members of staff.
He said: "The response shows us that people are happy to come and work for the trust.
"These posts have been developed to support the trust through the winter months when further beds will be opened to support the needs of our patients.
"They will also cover current and potential future vacancies."
Plans, still subject to final approval by paramedics and GPs, emerged yesterday for patients with chest pains or shortness of breath to be admitted to Stafford rather than other hospitals at night from next month.
Stafford MP Jeremy Lefroy said:"It's a step in the right direction. We need to see more work towards getting more patients treated at Stafford and I hope that will continue to happen. This is progress, albeit slow."
