NHS careers drive begins

By Iain MacDonald16th March 2006News Scotland

A campaign has been launched to encourage more people to opt for a career in the NHS, Scotland’s largest workforce. Television and radio ads featuring real NHSScotland staff from a variety of occupations have aired as an accompaniment to the first Scottish NHS Awareness Week which ran from March 6th to 12th.

A special NHS recruitment and careers website – www.infoscotland.co.uk/nhs – has been developed to offer information on job roles and working in the NHS to potential career changers, and a call centre set up – 0845 601 4647 – to handle phone inquiries.

Health Minister Andy Kerr said:
“The NHS in Scotland is changing. We are building an NHS that anticipates healthcare needs rather than reacting to them, by targeting those most at risk. We will focus on delivering healthcare much more in local communities, to better meet the needs of patients.
“To be able to achieve this stronger, better NHS, we need more good people from diverse backgrounds, with a variety of skills and expertise.
“Our new TV and radio adverts will raise awareness of the wide range of NHS careers available within Scotland’s largest workforce – over 100 different occupations.
“Importantly, all of the NHS staff shown in our advertising are actually working in the service right now in careers such as medical receptionists, radiographers and paramedics. Every career in the NHS is essential to the smooth running of the service, especially as work becomes more team- driven.
“The outstanding dedication and innovation all NHS staff show in their daily roles can never be underestimated. The first ever Scottish NHS Awareness Week will help to promote the contribution NHS staff make to the health of the nation.”{mospagebreak}
NHS Awareness Week was supported by a number of celebrities including Kaye Adams, Libby McArthur Alexander McCall-Smith, Ally McCoist, Liz McColgan, and Carol Smilie.

TV presenter Carol Smilie said:
“Thank God for the doctors and nurses who delivered my children, looked after my father through his three heart attacks, stayed with my mum and I until the very end and supported my close friend since her triple aneurysm. I am only one of the millions whose life they touch and I cannot imagine living in a country where healthcare is not available the way it is here.”

Author Alexander McCall-Smith said:
“I have the greatest possible admiration for the people who staff the NHS in Scotland. If one wants to see kindness, sympathy and sheer decency in action, one only has to look at NHS staff at work. We have all seen this. We have all experienced it. We know how much it means.”

The TV and radio ads were created with the support of a campaign steering group that included representation from the Royal College of Nursing, Unison, Amicus, NHS employers, Job Centre Plus and Careers Scotland.

The public will be provided with a NHS careers information pack. Some local NHS Boards will also hold ‘job-shop days’ to inform people of job opportunities in their area.