Thousands of new NHS 'reservists' are to be recruited to support the health service as staff tackle COVID-19 backlogs.
Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive urged the public to enlist as an NHS reservist, with a wide range of opportunities available, including assisting people who are being discharged from hospital or as part of the NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme.
Anyone can register their interest through a new website, including people who are interested in embarking on a career in the NHS or former staff who might want to return.
Local hospitals and NHS services can then call on the ‘NHS reservist community’ depending on their staffing requirements and pressures in their area, creating a bank extra resource for when it is needed. Since its initial pilot launch at five sites last year, more than 17,000 people have joined up.
No previous experience is necessary with full training provided and NHS reservists will be paid in line with the role they are doing. Support will also be provided by existing full-time staff that they can ‘buddy up’ with before starting any role.
Latest figures show there are more than 1.3 million people working for the NHS in England, almost 50,000 more than the previous year. This includes over 21,000 more professionally qualified clinical staff.
Speaking at the annual Nuffield Trust health summit, Amanda Pritchard said: “Along with the whole country, NHS staff have had a challenging few years – they have worked incredibly hard to care for over 600,000 people in hospital with COVID, kept routine services going for people who needed them and helped the entire country get back to normal with the successful rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination programme.
“Their outstanding work has rightly inspired thousands of people who want to join us in delivering care for millions of people, which is why we are introducing this new drive for NHS reservists. Reservists will help us in our time of need but also help those who want a rewarding career in the health service – the roles are flexible and can fit around your lifestyle. The challenges for the NHS are far from over – and as we now pull out all the stops to recover services, we once again need the public’s support."
Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Former healthcare workers coming out of retirement played a vital role in the national mission to roll out vaccines, as did the many selfless volunteers who came forward to support the NHS. We want to build on this invaluable resource as recover and reform, which is why we’re now recruiting an army of NHS reservists."
