Claire Wilson
SPANISH nurses are being recruited to help fill vacancies at two Sussex hospitals.
Specialist nurses are being sought for Worthing and Chichester hospitals, which are run by the Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust.
The trust is looking to Spain because there is a shortage of specialist nursing staff in the UK, particularly those qualified to work in intensive care.
Director of nursing Cathy Stone said: “We have significantly increased our nursing numbers in recent years, but the health needs of our local population are increasing all the time.
“We must ensure that we have the right number of staff to give our patients and their families the care that they need.
“In addition to our ongoing recruitment efforts, we also occasionally look overseas for experienced nurses.
“We will be doing so this year, and we hope that we will be able to recruit excellent new colleagues to work on our wards.”
Candidates from abroad are pre-screened for language skills, and then all are interviewed by trust staff to ensure that all recruits can communicate well in English.
