New nurses for NNUH

Up to 47 nurses who are to graduate from the University of East Anglia (UEA) will be joining the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital next month.

There are 39 adult nurses and eight children's nurses qualifying from the UEA School of Nursing and Midwifery and they will be joining Norwich's university hospital.

The hospital's Medical division will take 24 of the adult nurses, the Surgical division will take 14, and the Jenny Lind Children's department will take on the eight paediatric nurses. The new nurses will help the Trust's clinical divisions reduce use of overtime, bank and agency nursing staff, and help meet financial targets.

UEA is one of only a few universities in the country able to offer paediatric nurse training and as a consequence, demand elsewhere in the country for these staff is high.

Director of Nursing and Education Christine Baxter said: “We are in the very lucky position as a university hospital to be able to work closely with the UEA and to recruit the vast majority of their students.”

The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust employs 2,590 nursing and midwifery staff at its hospitals in Norwich and Cromer –  up a quarter (24 per cent) on nursing numbers five years ago.

In January 2006 the new School of Nursing and Midwifery building will open next to the university hospital campus at Colney.