A RECRUITMENT drive is being launched to find 200 extra nurses for Basildon Hospital.

Bosses are hoping to attract the new staff by November to help them cope with the huge demand at the hospital’s A&E department The nurses will fill general vacancies and help oversee the new 60 to 70 beds being brought in to ease the pressure on A&E.

The move comes as A&E departments across the country struggle to cope with the number of patients seeking emergency help.

In an effort to attract new employees, hospital staff will be visiting recruitment fairs run by the Royal College of Nursing and universities around the country.

Diane Sarkar, director of nursing at Basildon Hospital, said: “We are looking for nurses not only with the qualifications to work at our trust, but they also need to share our values and be dedicated to providing high-quality care for patients.

“They may be newly qualified nurses, nurses who are looking to move to a new role or nurses who may have been out of the workplace for some time and are now looking to return.

“Going to recruitment fairs means we can talk with the attendees and share with them the benefits of coming to work in Basildon and Thurrock.

“For some, it may mean a move away from home, so we need to demonstrate a warmwelcome and what we have to offer by way of opportunities to work in a range of specialist areas, ongoing training and professional development.

“As we do not expect to be able to fill all of our nursing vacancies by recruiting in the UK, later in the summer we will also be looking further afield, in Europe, for nurses with the right skills.”

Anybody interested in a nursing role can visit the NHS Jobs website at www.jobs.nhs.uk or the Basildon Hospital trust website at www.basildon andthurrock.nhs.uk