Posters go up in bid to lure NHS staff away
HUGE adverts plastered on the side of buildings are trying to recruit Welsh nurses and doctors by promising a better life in Canada.
The digital billboards highlight dissatisfaction with working conditions in the Welsh NHS.
They are part of a much wider advertising campaign launched by the province of British Columbia in Canada. They appear to be inviting care staff, nurses and doctors to apply for jobs in Canada.
The adverts appear to be tapping into the current discontent at pay and working conditions within the Welsh NHS. There have been several high profile strikes by Welsh doctors and nurses over the past year.
One of the adverts showed a picture of a healthcare professional with the tag line: “Care for others in a place that cares about you.”
The other said: “Giving patients what they need shouldn’t take everything you’ve got.”
Both are then followed by a link to careers in British Columbia, Canada. The Canadian province is the third largest in the country behind Quebec and Ontario.
Staff recruitment and retention is a serious issue in the Welsh NHS.
A report by the Royal College of Nursing published at the end of last year estimated there were 2,717 registered nurse vacancies in Wales in 2023. This number represents an increase on the union’s estimation of 1,719 from a year ago. This in turn has led to a reliance on agency nurses which are more expensive for the taxpayer. A Welsh Government spokesman said: “We greatly value the NHS workforce in Wales and the vital work they do.
“We are working with employers and unions to deliver the working environment and conditions staff need to continue providing high quality care for the people of Wales.
“Our National Workforce Implementation Plan sets out how we will improve recruitment, retention and the well-being of the NHS workforce.
“Despite the unprecedented pressures on our budget, record numbers of people, including doctors, are employed by the NHS. We’ve also maintained our education and training budget at £281m this year.”
The British Columbia Ministry of Health said the marketing campaign aimed to address healthcare worker shortages in the province and that the first phase of a recruitment campaign had reached more than 2.2 million people in the UK and Ireland through digital and physical means.
It also indicated that it was targeting the UK because the process for foreign credential recognition and transferring credentials was more compatible compared to other jurisdictions.
The other areas being targeted by the campaign in the UK were Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Stratford, Kensington, South Hampton, Newcastle, Piccadilly, Manchester and London.