Care recruits taken on to support nursing

The new clinical care assistants will complete a six-month course, run by health organisation Locala, to train them in how to support other healthcare professionals in the area.

District nursing team leader Joanne Keeling said: “The new clinical care assistant roles will enable our services to meet the growing patient demand for quality care, whilst enabling our more specialist nursing teams to focus on more complex care needs and carry out full patient assessments.”

The recruits will learn a variety of skills, which will include how to administer ear and eye drops, check blood pressure and dress wounds.

Locala said it took new people on because referrals to its services had increased by six per cent since 2011.

It said the course could lead to full careers in nursing.

New recruit Lee Griffiths, who used to be a blood-borne virus coordinator at a prison, said: “I’m looking forward to working with patients in the community, with full support and all the training I need to develop my skills.”

Locala’s chief executive, Robert Flack, said: “Local demand for our services has risen year on year.

“By investing in people locally and equipping them with the latest mobile technology to support their work caring for people in our community, we’re making sure our patients will be seen by the right clinician at the right time to be able to meet their health needs.”