Nurse’s love of job rekindled after taking part in innovative scheme | Latest news

Nurse’s love of job rekindled after taking part in innovative scheme

Jenny Cole and Endoscopy Team

A dedicated nurse who was questioning her career choice has fallen in love with Nursing again after enrolling onto the Trust’s Job Transfer Scheme.

Jennifer Cole (third from right) has been a qualified nurse for six years and formerly worked on Ward 302 at the Royal Derby Hospital before having to take time away from work for personal reasons.

After months of questioning her career choice, Jennifer’s manager on Ward 302 enquired about the Job Transfer Scheme, an initiative which gives Registered Nurses and Health Care assistants the chance to change speciality and move to another department within the Trust. Staff are supported throughout the transition which aims to keep skilled and experienced staff as part of Team UHDB.

Jennifer said: “I was going through a challenging time in my personal life and had been away from work, questioning whether I wanted to, or was able to continue being a nurse. I’ve gone from that to loving my career choice again which is priceless. I don’t know where I’d be without this scheme and my supportive colleagues.

“I joined the Endoscopy team in October 2018 and everyone has been fantastic. When I applied for the transfer, there was no way that I could’ve gone through the process of applying for a new job and interviews, so I feel very lucky that UHDB offer this supportive transfer process.

“I would definitely recommend it to any other members of staff who are thinking of applying.”

The Job Transfer Scheme is just one of many innovative methods in place at UHDB aimed to bolster staff retention, and has helped numerous health care professionals find a new career direction within the Trust since its launch in 2018.

Nationally, turnover rates for Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) nursing staff is around 11.3%, while levels at UHDB were at 7.27% as of February 2019.

Cathy Winfield, Executive Chief Nurse at UHDB, said: “It’s important that we’re open minded with how we can support the development and progression of our staff. Through a number of initiatives, we’ve been able to keep our retention rates above the national average which, for a newly merged organisation is something we are very proud of.

“We still have vacancies and we are very busy but it’s important that we recognise the work that goes on behind the scenes to support our frontline colleagues and retain the skills and expertise of our staff.”

The Trust has also successfully promoted initiatives aimed at flexible working and working for longer, including retire and return and mid-career planning with wrap-around support of health and wellbeing initiatives for nursing staff working in high activity areas like the Emergency Department.

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