Bradford Teaching Hospitals has welcomed 22 newly qualified midwives to one of the country’s busiest maternity units – as well as a clutch of newly-qualified paediatric staff nurses to care for poorly young patients on its children’s wards.
The midwives will be working on the maternity wards and the staff nurses on the new paediatric wards at Bradford Royal Infirmary, part of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Head of Midwifery Sara Keogh said: “We are absolutely delighted that 22 newly qualified midwives have chosen Bradford Maternity Unit as the place to start their midwifery careers, and look forward to welcoming them into the clinical areas over the next few weeks.
“Working in such a busy maternity unit, which is part of a teaching hospital, gives our midwives the opportunity to care for women experiencing both low and high risk pregnancies and the opportunity to continually learn and develop their skills.
“Being a midwife and supporting women and their families during one of the biggest events in their lives is a unique and privileged role, and we are excited to be able to support our new colleagues as they embark on their midwifery journeys.”
Staff at the Maternity Unit deliver around 5,500 babies a year and over 250 midwives are employed by Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Recruitment doubled
A total of 12 newly qualified paediatric staff nurses have now taken up their positions on the hospital’s Children and Young People’s Unit (wards 30 and 32) – double the number who started in 2017. Nine of the nurses were students at the University of Bradford, while two studied at the University of York and one at Birmingham.
Practice and Professional Development Sister, Laura Deery revealed that the state-of-the-art facilities, part of the hospital’s new £28 million wing, which opened last year and include two paediatric wards, children’s clinical decision area, school room, play room and dedicated teenage lounge, were helping to draw new staff.
She said: “We have been very proactive with our recruiting; going out to local universities to talk to students and encouraging them to visit our wards where they have received a warm welcome. The students have also had the benefit of being supported by the same mentor throughout their training and this has helped them to feel part of a team from the start. But our fantastic new unit is definitely helping to attract new nurses – not just from local areas but from further afield too.”
Paediatrics Matron, Ruth Tolley added: “We have an amazing team here in Bradford and we are really pleased to have so many newly qualified paediatric staff nurses joining us. Everyone supports each other and works together for the benefit of our patients and I think that is very apparent to new nurses and one of the reasons they are attracted to the Trust. We are one big family.”
Eliza Phillips has joined the Trust after studying in York. She said: “I was immediately impressed by the staff and the facilities here in Bradford. I felt very comfortable from the beginning and I really wanted to work in an area which is so culturally diverse. I know there will be great opportunities for me here and that’s what attracted me.”
Rachel Hornsby, also from York, added: “I had a couple of interviews elsewhere but everyone was so welcoming in Bradford and that made up my mind. I know I will be challenged here but I want to be part of a great team that makes a real difference and I know that’s what working at BRI can offer me. I feel there is real room for me to grow.”
Read more about working for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.