Kettering General Hospital seeking to attract London nurses at HSJ Nursing Jobs Fair

Saturday 14th March 2020 – Park Plaza Victoria in London

Nurses looking to further their nursing career should head to the HSJ Nursing Jobs Fair in London on 14th March 2020 where Kettering General Hospital’s recruitment team will be highlighting the many nursing opportunities at the hospital and the benefits of relocating out of the capital, including a better work/life balance and reduced living costs.

A recent survey from the Royal College of Nursing[i] found that over half of London’s nurses want to leave the city because of high living costs; with eight in ten nurses saying the cost of accommodation is taking up more of their income than five years ago, and one in four are struggling and increasingly worried about their finances.

Rebecca Bell, HR Manager Workforce Planning at Kettering General Hospital says, “We are looking for nurses interested in relocating to a hospital that offers great career prospects in a friendly and supportive work environment, in an area where the cost of living is less and housing more affordable. At the Jobs Fair we can talk to nurses about the roles available, the training and development opportunities and how we can help them achieve a better work/life balance. We’re really looking forward to meeting nurses and inspiring them to take the next step in their career outside of London.”

Kettering General Hospital covers a large part of the Northamptonshire area, with outpatient clinics in Corby, Wellingborough and Rushden, as well as Kettering General itself. The hospital has 600 beds and 17 theatres, employs around 4,000 staff and is one of the largest employers in Northampton. 

There are currently a wide variety of nursing opportunities, both full-time and part-time, including registered nursing vacancies in the cardiology department; in an acute surgical ward that specialises in colorectal surgery both emergency and elective and in wards specialising in in diabetes and endocrinology, as well as opportunities for nurses that want to work within general medical nursing and complex discharge planning.

One nurse who has seen her career flourish since she relocated to Kettering is Rebecca Prendergast. Rebecca worked in London for twelve years before deciding to relocate to Kettering for a better lifestyle for her family. What she didn’t expect, was the amazing career that lay ahead at Kettering General Hospital.

Rebecca was keen to relocate to a decent-sized hospital that offered plenty of development opportunities, plus she wanted to purchase a home. In London, Rebecca and her husband had rented a flat without any garden and the rent was so high it had impacted their ability to save. They wanted to move to buy a family house in a good area and settle down.

Kettering proved ideal. It is an attractive place, with good schools and affordable homes. The town also has great transport links and is just under one hour by train to London, which meant they could easily visit friends and family.

Rebecca applied for a surgery nursing job at Kettering General Hospital and her career has blossomed.

She explains, “In London I was a band 6 nurse and had worked on neurosurgical wards and had experience in abdominal and bowel surgery.  However, I was given a band 7 role at Kettering General Hospital. When I arrived for my interview, I was amazed at the different surgical specialities and the impressive facilities at the hospital including 12 theatres. I realised there would be great opportunities to develop my skills.”

“Career-wise the move has been excellent. The surgery here is very dynamic and the ward is busy and acute, and the team have amazing skills. We’re a close-knit team and we can phone the surgeons on their mobiles if we have questions, but we also have lots of autonomy as we are a nurse-led discharge team. We get lots of feedback from patients and receive so many thank you notes – it is very rewarding.”

Rebecca adds “Working here, I quickly realised that it is not only hospitals in London where nurses can really develop their careers. At Kettering, there are so many specialities for nurses and there aren’t any barriers to progression. The other benefits of working here are flexible work hours, which are great for people with children and there is a very caring atmosphere, Staff are offered health checks and mindfulness sessions and there’s a real drive to promote staff wellbeing too. Relocating here was the best decision I have made.”

Kettering General Hospital is one of the key partners in the ‘Best of Both Worlds’ recruitment campaign. The campaign brings together the University of Northampton, Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Northampton General Hospital, Kettering General Hospital (KGH), St Andrew’s Healthcare and Northants GP and aims to recruit nurses, doctors and healthcare professionals to live and work in Northamptonshire.

To register and get a ticket to visit the HSJ Nursing Jobs Fair click here.

To find out about vacancies across Northamptonshire, including Kettering visit http://bestofbothworlds.uk.net/


[i] https://nursingnotes.co.uk/londons-nurses-leave-due-spiraling-living-costs/