BRADFORD Teaching Hospitals Trust has started a recruitment drive for more nursing staff - revealing it needs to draft in 60 extra nurses.

The Trust employs 1,750 nurses across Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke's Hospital, and community hospitals at Westwood Park, Westbourne Green and Eccleshill.

Assistant chief nurse (quality and workforce) Jo Hilton, said details of opportunities to work in a variety of specialities across medicine, surgery, anaesthesia, women and children will be outlined at an open day at Field House at Bradford Royal Infirmary on Friday.

"Here in Bradford we are proud to provide high quality, person-centred care and we are looking for compassionate, motivated nurses and midwives, who share our passion for putting patients first, to join our workforce," she said.

"Our open day is aimed at registered nurses and midwives looking for new challenges, those thinking of returning to the profession after a break, those who are newly-qualified, and students who are close to qualifying.

"If you are interested in joining our Foundation Trust as an apprentice healthcare assistant, we will have information about our new apprenticeship scheme.

"Matrons, ward sisters, and heads of department from across the Bradford Royal Infirmary, St Luke’s Hospital and our four community hospitals will be available at the jobs fair. We want people to drop in, meet staff who work across our hospitals, ask them questions and find out more about the current vacancies we have on offer."

At the open day there will be information stands from all recruiting specialities, as well as representatives from the hospital's human resources department and staff from BRI's health and wellbeing centre.

Organisers are also keen to talk to newly-qualified nurses about the hospital’s new preceptorship programme which aims to develop and support individual career development paths for each staff nurse.

This September will see the beginning of a new work-based apprenticeship training scheme at the Trust for school-leavers and staff interested in job progression within the health service.

Mrs Hilton said: "Apprenticeships offer people a mixture of work-based training and education, with the opportunity to build up skills and knowledge whilst gaining nationally-recognised qualifications. They can also provide an alternative progression route to access employment from school through to higher education.

"Bradford has one of the highest rates of youth unemployment in the UK and as a major employer in the city, our new apprenticeship scheme will offer much-needed jobs and development opportunities to the communities that we serve."

The recruitment event on Friday takes place from 1pm to 6pm.