BOLTON has seen an improvement in hospital staffing numbers but bosses warn more needs to be done before it faces its busiest season.

Royal Bolton Hospital still has more than 70 spaces to fill on its nursing team despite a drive to bring more employees on to its wards.

Director of nursing and midwifery, Trish Armstrong-Child spoke about the ups and downs of the recruiting as well as retaining staff between January and June at the recent Bolton NHS Foundation Trust board meeting.

She said: “Our staffing levels are currently safe and we have got good outcomes but that doesn’t mean we are going to take our eye off the ball.

“We have got 44 registered nurses starting inductions this week. Our university stands are selling us as a place to work and we are delighted with the results.

“In ward E3 we have seven vacancies but six new starters. I was told it will put pressure in senior staff there to support them.

“I told the senior team that it is a challenge and to embrace it.

“When the additional winter ward opens we will be about 40 vacancies short across the whole patch. It is going to be a challenge, it always is.”

A report to the board revealed that the fill rates of registered and unregistered staff had fallen slightly, but unregistered recruitment still remained high.

Prior to a recent recruiting drive the trust had more than 100 vacancies unfulfilled but that has now dropped to 75.

It has also invested £215,000 to increase the number of nurses on

in nurse staffing equating to 5 WTE has been invested on two wards.

Mrs Armstrong-child said they were also working on improving staff turn-over and retention.

Problem areas included moving staff around different departments due to gaps but they were working on improving the flow.

The Trust also undertook an international recruitment programme in the Philippines in October with the aim of securing 75 nurses, and so far 10 have joined the team and six are completing their training.

Chairman David Wakefield added: “We have been fishing is so many ponds for staff, a long with everyone else! We have tried all over the EU and the Ireland and, along with others, went to the Philippines.

“I realise this whole area of staffing is very, very tough.

“The key thing to take away from this is that staffing is great at the moment.”