HSC wants extra £1.2m. to tackle nurse shortages
AN EXTRA £1.2m. could be invested in trainee nurses over the next three years to tackle a chronic shortage of professionals on the island.
Health & Social Care has asked for more money in the 2019 Budget in an attempt to reduce the hundreds of vacant nurse roles in the island.
There are approximately 218 full-time employment vacant nurse posts which are being covered by HSC bank staff or with agency nurses.
In the budget the committee for Health & Social Care identified an increased risk, at least for 2019, regarding the recruitment and retention of skilled nurses and allied health professionals from off-island, due to a combination of factors including a general decline in numbers of qualified staff, more attractive packages elsewhere and uncertainties around Brexit.
This is also resulting in upward pressure on agency rates due to increased demand.
‘As you would expect with any health and care organisation, a rolling recruitment programme is required to manage vacant posts,’ said a HSC spokesperson.
‘To assist with tackling the global shortage of key staff, an independent review into the recruitment and retention of Agenda for Change staff commenced in August 2018.
‘This is being led by Dean Royles from the Inspiring Leaders Network.
‘The review will cover all staff on health service terms and conditions of employment known as AFC, which includes nurses, midwives, allied health professionals working in fields such as dietetics, radiology and pathology, and also some social workers in adult and community services.’
The review is exploring, among other things, workforce data relating to the employment of nurses, midwives and other health and care staff, competitiveness of pay in relation to cost of living on the island and any workplace cultural issues affecting recruitment and retention.
In August the States said the review of pay was progressing well.
The Assembly backed the investigation in December amid union arguments that their staff were underpaid in comparison to other public sector employees and colleagues in other jurisdictions.
These other jurisdictions include Jersey, where the nurses’ union threatened strike action in September after urging its members to reject a pay deal which it described as a ‘slap in the face’.
To address these agency, recruitment and retention costs, HSC included a proposal in its 2019 budget submission to increase the intake of trainee nurses each year.
The spokesperson said: ‘This will strengthen nursing resilience in the Bailiwick, providing a clearer career path and, therefore, improving recruitment and retention.
‘Assuming full uptake of these student nurses posts will result in an additional cost in the order of £300k in 2019, £420k in 2020 and £560k in 2021.’
In the 2019 budget, the suggested cash limit for Health & Social Care is £120m., which includes an additional inflation allowance of £530,000 in respect of off island care and medical supplies and specific additional funding of £2m. for several cost/income pressures being experienced and service developments.
In a bid to help attract nurses to posts on the island, HSC has created a series of short videos and posted them on social media.
‘Over the past 18 months there has been a move away from traditional print media when it comes to recruiting for the States of Guernsey,’ said the spokesperson.
‘We now predominantly use digital and social media marketing which is far more cost effective, targeted and trackable.
‘In an area such as nurse recruitment, where there is an international shortage of nurses to fill our vacant posts we are operating in a highly competitive market place, we need to be able to respond quickly and monitor what works for us.
‘In the past month alone, the reach of the Working for Health and Social Care Facebook page has increased more than 50% with post engagements up 219%.
‘Creating engaging video content is a natural progression for us, it’s a great way to engage with social media users and our video, featuring Abbie Swain, a nurse on Giffard Ward, had a reach of more than 21,000 in the first three days alone.
‘This ensures we put Guernsey on the map for nurses who are embarking on their career, or looking to make a move.
‘It’s a device we’ll be using in other areas going forward.’
