Dozens of new doctors join Shropshire hospitals with more nurses due before Christmas
More than 130 junior doctors joined Shropshire's two main hospitals in August, while another 84 nurses are expected to arrive by Christmas.
Rhia Boyode, director of people and organisational development at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, has given an update on recruitment in a new report.
The report, which has been prepared for the trust's board, says: "August was an exceptionally busy month for medical recruitment with the annual junior doctor induction-taking place.
"A total of 136 new doctors joined the trust in with many others rotating internally.
"Overall workforce growth has continued to increase however is below plan due to delays with the 2021 international recruitment programme.
"We expect to have another 84 nurses to arrive before Christmas and we are in the process of recruiting another 45 which we aim to recruit by February 2022."
She also says there was an above average number of staff leaving the trust in August, with a third of them having been there less than a year.
Ms Boyode added: "Interviews have taken place with staff who have left in their first year to provide a deep dive understanding of reasons for leaving. These include work life balance, relationships with colleagues or managers, promotion outside of the trust and majority of reasons relating to personal circumstances. "Work underway to ensure we support flexible working patterns including monitoring of roster approval times to promote better work-life balance."
The report also says that Covid-related absence continued to be at high levels during August, with increasing levels of staff testing positive and requiring to isolate due to members of the household testing positive.
"Non-Covid-19 sickness has increased to 5.2 per cent in August and nursing and midwifery sickness is at the highest level for the previous 12 months," it adds.
The trust runs Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.
Its board of directors will meet online on Thursday to discuss the report.
To live stream the meeting, which starts at 1pm, visit sath.nhs.uk/about-us/trust-information/trust-board-meetings.
