Job Shop at West Suffolk Hospital

3^rd October 2002

Staff from the West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust will run a job shop in the Hospital foyer from 9am until 4pm on Thursday 3rd October to encourage people to consider a career with the Trust.

Members of the public will be able to call at the hospital to find out about specific vacancies and also to learn about the wide range of roles available.

There are currently vacancies for many staff groups, including qualified nurses, auxiliary nurses, administrative and clerical staff, health visitors, hotel services staff, occupational therapists and physiotherapists.

Jan Bloomfield, Director of Personnel & Corporate Resources at the Trust, said staff would be on hand to help visitors with their inquiries and to give out information and give-aways. The aim is to inform people about the many different roles in healthcare and to promote working for the West Suffolk Hospital as a rewarding and worthwhile career. Job interviews will be available on the day.

"The NHS is the largest and one of the most important organisations in the country, and few professions can offer the level of variety and job satisfaction that working in healthcare provides," said Jan Bloomfield, Director of Human Resources at the Trust.  "We want to highlight the benefits of working for the NHS and encourage local people to think about a career at the West Suffolk Hospital.

"The best care for patients is provided by a happy and fulfilled workforce. To achieve this we are doing all we can to create an environment in which every member of our staff feels that their voice is listened to and their contribution appreciated.

"Flexible working hours, personal training and development programmes, a Career Break scheme, a future on-site nursery and childcare vouchers are just some of the initiatives introduced by the Trust to improve the working lives of staff.  Developing work/life balance employment policies and flexible working patterns play an important role in successful recruitment and retention."

One of the biggest challenges facing many people today is how to manage the work/life balance. The Trust has been looking at ways to make it easier for staff to achieve a better balance and a major initiative is the introduction of a Return to Practice Course for nurses that provides the retraining, support and flexible hours necessary to enable people to return to the profession. The course combines theory with practical experience, a choice of clinical placement, payment for clinical time and no charge for the course.

If you are interested in working for the West Suffolk Hospital but cannot attend the job shop on 3rd October and would like more information, contact 01284 713 702.