Nursing Recruitment Event for Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals

ON Saturday, 23 March 2019, Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust will be hosting a nursing recruitment event, running from 11am to 3pm. This will be at Southport Hospital, within the Clinical Education Centre. Roles are available for registered nurses looking for a new role, students soon to qualify, or nurses hoping to return to practice. Teams will be on hand to answer questions about any specific roles and departments. Advice will be available about career development and training. NHS Professionals will also be on hand for anyone looking for temporary roles with the nursing bank. Interviews and advice will be available between 11am to 3pm, on a drop in basis. Also it is possible to apply online in advance via:- NHSjobs, and booked appointments will be confirmed. For an informal chat, call Sharon Flatman on:- 01704 704801 or send an email to Sharon.Flatman@NHS.Net.

Ambulance Service praised by minister for apprenticeships

APPRENTICES at North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) met with Rt Hon Anne Milton MP, Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills and Chris Green MP for Bolton West and Atherton on Monday as the trust is named 1 of the top performing apprenticeship employers in the country.  Currently employing 272 apprentices in a wide range of roles including frontline emergency medical technicians as well as ICT, finance, communications and fleet mechanics, the trust was thanked for its commitments, enthusiasm and drive for apprenticeships.

The Ambulance Service changed the way it provides training to apprentices in May 2017 when it became an employer provider meaning it was able to deliver its 1st regulated qualification in house. In her 1st visit to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, Anne Milton MP met with apprentices from different areas of the trust and expressed the benefits of offering these learning opportunities to further grow a skilled workforce. Damian Hutton, Emergency Medical Technician 1 in Manchester said:- "I have now completed my apprenticeship and it's given me opportunities that I never would have had otherwise. I was never interested in learning when I was younger but now have a nationally recognised qualification and have used this to progress onto further training to become a paramedic."

Currently, 251 apprentices are enrolled onto the Level 4 Associate Ambulance Practitioner (AAP) apprenticeship, to become emergency medical technicians with 31 fully completed the course since May 2017.  Apprentices are given 18 weeks of classroom and driver training, before heading out on the road, in order to gain hands on experience, working on an Emergency Ambulance, whilst completing the remainder of the 12 to 18 month apprenticeship. Successful AAP apprentices are employed by the trust as Emergency Medical Technician 1s. 

Government reforms have meant that the trust has been able to benefit from using the apprenticeship levy to invest in training apprentices. Celebrating National Apprenticeship Week, NWAS will be showcasing 'a week in the life of' a number of apprentices and featuring them on their social media pages across the week.  Carol Offer, Assistant Director of Workforce and Development at NWAS said:- "We are extremely proud of our apprentices who are really proving to us the value that they can bring to the organisation through their skills and drive for learning. By embracing Government changes, we have been able to invest further into learning opportunities for our workforce widening the depth of skills they have and ultimately improving the level of care we give to our patients. Not just on the frontline, we have been able to offer apprenticeships within our corporate services too by linking in with relevant learning providers. This allows us to target a younger workforce and take advantage of junior positions with the hope that apprentices will go on to build a career within the organisation."

Apprentices in other areas of the trust include fleet, learning and development and HR. Apprenticeships and Skills Minister, Anne Milton said:- "I was thrilled to kick off National Apprenticeship Week 2019 with a visit to the North West Ambulance Service, to meet apprentices who help deliver urgent and emergency health care across their Region. The apprentices I met are trained to deliver the right care, at the right time, in the right place; giving them an excellent foundation to progress in their careers, whilst making a huge difference to the lives of others.Apprenticeships in the North West Ambulance Service are available in a number of different roles including paramedics, call handlers and urgent care assistants; all of which can lead to rewarding and fulfilling careers Well done to all at North West Ambulance Service!"

NWAS is now looking to expand its in house apprenticeships and is working with Ambulance Services across the country to develop further apprenticeship opportunities for the Ambulance workforce.  All NWAS vacancies are advertised on the NHS Jobs website.

Brown Turner Ross Solicitors honoured for helping to secure vital funds for Cancer Research UK

BROWN Turner Ross Solicitors in Southport has been recognised by Cancer Research UK after facilitating over ₤450,000 worth of gifts from people choosing to leave a legacy to the charity in their will. Solicitors, Matthew Skeels and Thomas Rimmington were presented with a Bronze certificate by the charity in acknowledgement of the firm's ongoing support. The Merseyside law firm have been offering the Free Will Service to people aged 55 and over in Southport for the past 20 years, giving advice and support for those wishing to write a will or update an existing 1. As part of the service Brown Turner Ross give free guidance for those wishing to leave a legacy gift for Cancer Research UK. The charity receives no Government funding for its research and relies heavily on the generosity of people leaving gifts in their wills. Over a ⅓ of its research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer is funded through supporters leaving a legacy to the charity.

Thomas Rimmington, head of private client at Brown Turner Ross, said:- "It is never easy when dealing with any kind of bereavement, but we hope our work with Cancer Research UK can help make it a little easier for everyone. We want to make honouring a person's wishes straight forward and easy for all involved. As a firm we have been working with the charity for over 2 decades and we are honoured to receive this recognition for all of the team's hard work. We hope to continue supporting Cancer Research UK and all of the families wishing to donate to the cause long into the future."

A legacy gift can be anything someone wishes to leave in their will. Traditionally this is money but it could be anything that has a monetary value like land or property or a specific item. Anything left to Cancer Research UK will free of Tax and can be marked to be ring fenced for research into a specific cancer type or research within a local area.

Clare Moore, Director of Legacies at Cancer Research UK, explained:- "We all reach a stage at some point in our lives where we start to look ahead and consider what will happen to our financial affairs in the future, when we may no longer be around. At Cancer Research UK, we work with a number of local solicitors including Brown Turner Ross to offer local people aged 55 or over, the chance to make an all important 1st will or to update an existing 1. The service has grown in popularity over the past couple of years and while it is provided free of any obligation, the majority of people choose to kindly leave a gift to the charity. By offering Cancer Research UK's Free Will Service the team at Brown Turner Ross have become well informed about our work and are very supportive of our life saving research. Whenever their clients express a desire to support us, their team act with great sensitivity as they explain the various options and allow individuals or families to make the right choice in their own good time. It's quite astonishing to think that by simply combining enthusiasm with the highest professional standards Brown Turner Ross has helped secure over ₤451,000 worth of legacy gifts, which will go a long way towards helping our Scientists, Doctors and Nurses to beat cancer sooner."

Cancer survival in the UK has doubled since the early 1970's and Cancer Research UK's work has been at the heart of that progress. Every step taken by its doctors, nurses and scientists relies on donations from the public and the kindness of supporters who choose to leave a gift in their will. The Free Will Service has been running successfully for over 20 years across a network of solicitors in the UK. Anyone who wishes to use the service is asked to consider leaving a legacy gift to Cancer Research UK but is under no obligation to do so. For more information about leaving a legacy gift and Cancer Research UK's free will service, visit:- CRUK.Org/FreeWillService or call Brown Turner Ross on:- 01704 542 002.