New Cross Hospital will take on 25 staff in £1m care bid
Around 25 new staff are to be taken on at Wolverhampton's New Cross Hospital in a £1million drive to improve patient care.
Many of the new jobs will be for nurses, some of whom will be asked to take their post in the emergency services departments where the under pressure A&E has been struggling to cope.
Attendance rates at the department have soared to record levels and on April 17 it saw the most patients in its history come through the doors – 365 on a single day.
Health chiefs are also preparing to take on extra services if a £70 million downgrade of Stafford and Cannock Hospitals goes ahead.
The hospital said today it is looking to take on regular staff nurses to allow the ward sisters and charge nurses to spend more time supervising the standards of care that is provided to patients.
It is hoped it will also free up the ward sisters and charge nurses to work with staff, including student nurses, and undertake audits and quality checks. Bosses say it is hoped the new workers will be in post by the end of next month.
Chief Nurse Cheryl Etches said: "These changes are very welcome and will enable charge nurses and ward sisters to spend more time with patients and staff to make sure that the quality of care is of a high standard and that patients and relatives are satisfied with their experience of care at the hospital."
Money for the appointments has come from government funding for projects which have a positive impact on care and people's experience at hospital.
A special nurse recruitment open day is being held at the Wolverhampton Medical Institute at the hospital on Saturday.
New staff are being offered the chance to be interviewed and health checked on the same day and could even be given a provisional job offer.
The hospital is looking to save £21m this financial year but has pledged not to compromise on patient safety.
More than £6m of savings still have to be identified in this year's cuts, which will come from a wide range of departments across the Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust.
Last year, the trust fell short of the £15m it hoped to save, with £6.5m cuts carried over into the 2013-14 budget.
In April, which is the first month of the new financial year, the trust managed to take out £3.1m with efficiency savings across departments.
The cost-cutting moves have been made under a scheme called Change in Programme.
The savings are part of the £20 billion total that the NHS needs to save across the country by 2015.
