NHS Lothian has welcomed 910 new nurses and midwives to support the Health Board to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new recruits are made up of nursing staff and midwives and will be working in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, the Western General Hospital and St John’s Hospital, Livingstone as well as across the community.
All 910 of the new staff were recruited through a national effort to boost the workforce during the pandemic and beyond, during the national recovery phase.
One of the new Staff Nurses, Alex Simpson, said: “I’m really enjoying doing my bit to help and the team have been so welcoming and supportive of me.”
Jacqueline Reid, Senior Charge Nurse, said: “What a privilege it is to have all these students volunteer to come and work with us and our patients during the current pandemic of Covid-19. An inspiration to us all.”
Craig Stenhouse, Deputy Chief Nurse for Royal Edinburgh Hospital and Associated Services, said: “Having the student nurses join our team has allowed us to continue to provide the high level of care we strive for.
“Each of the students I have met so far have been motivated, enthusiastic and excited to start working in their new teams. It is difficult to believe how quickly these new members of staff have become part of our team.”
This year on International Nurses Day NHS Lothian joined health organisations around the world to celebrate the exceptional work preformed every day by nurses and midwives.
Yesterday was the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale, who is considered to be the pioneer of modern nursing. Whilst the profession had developed considerably since, it continues to evolve in scope and importance and in the range of roles open to the modern nurse.
Gillian McAuley, Nurse Director for Acute Services in NHS Lothian, said: “One of the biggest challenges for us right now is making sure we really connect with our patients and their families. It’s an important part of in making sure really outstanding ,compassionate care is delivered.
“The use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) can create barriers between us and our patients. A lot of nurses have said can be hard when patients can’t see our expressions, like seeing us smile and of course it’s not possible for a nurse to give a bereaved family member a simple hug.
“We’ve had to do a lot of work learning how to show our expressions and emotions through our eyes and using other forms of expression. We’ve done things like creating cards called ‘a hug in a card’ to try and keep that connection with our patients and their families.”
Alex McMahon, NHS Lothian Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals said: “We’ve had to cancel a lot of events we’d been planning to mark International Year of the Nurse but, despite that, we know there has never been a better time to celebrate nursing.
“We welcome our new recruits who know there has never been a more exciting time to be a nurse. There are a whole range of specialisms to choose from and nursing remains a profoundly rewarding and fulfilling profession.”
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said: “The recruitment of 910 nurses and midwives is very welcome during these exceptionally difficult times.
“NHS Lothian will face significant challenges after Covid-19 in improving waiting times and getting patients treated and these new recruits will go a long way to overcoming these challenges.”