Just R Help Fill a Shortage of Doctors at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust

New Methods in Recruiting Medics

We recently worked with Airedale NHS Foundation Trust to recruit Band 5 Nurses and Medics into the Trust. We attracted both active and passive candidates through a values based social media campaign, and streamlined the recruitment process through pre-screen phone calls and short form applications.

The Challenge

Our challenge was to overcome traditional recruitment processes in order to attract medics to Airedale NHS Foundation Trust within their Haematology, Anaesthesiology and Gastroenterology departments. Recruiting medics can often prove near impossible. With 8000 medical posts in the UK left vacant, it can be hard to attract medical professionals when they have ample opportunities to pick from. This is where value based attraction comes in; using an NHS organisation’s values and key messages can prove an appealing pull factor when looking for a new role. In today’s job climate, candidates need to be found and engaged with, rather than waiting for applications to come to you.

The Solution

A values based social media campaign across Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin, with an established Employer Brand to drive both passive and active candidates to a short form application.

This campaign showcased the opportunities and key USP for medics working at Airedale, as well as a relocation focus to attract people to the area; full of countryside, lakes, culture and a ‘breath of fresh Aire’.

With a shortage of medics in the UK, it was important to focus on what makes Airedale stand out from other NHS Trusts, such as the ability to progress in your career. During our photography day, Just R’s talented videography team thought it would be insightful and beneficial to hear from current medics working at the Trust. We asked staff what made them join Team Airedale and created insightful and engaging videos to attract and convert Doctors to join.

Results

We pulled out top themes of Airedale being a friendly and welcoming organisation and highlighted the opportunities for growth such as supporting medics through the CESAR Scheme and the opportunities for growth in a small team. This proved a great opportunity to attract Junior Doctors looking to complete their FY1 and FY2 with Airedale; through this campaign we have engaged with 29 Junior Doctors interested in joining the trust and 1 Consultant.

Just R’s collaboration with Airedale NHS Foundation Trust also proved successful in converting Band 5 nurses; we attracted 48 qualified nurses and 9 student nurses. We are thrilled to be continuing this collaboration in our new campaign to attract Nurses, ODP’s and HCAs to a bespoke Theatre event at Airedale’s new Barn Theatre.