Bassetlaw Hospital "does not have enough nurses" claims councillor

Deputy leader of Bassetlaw District Council, Jo White, said the hospital in Worksop has a lack of nurses – but work is being done to train local people to degree level to tackle the issue.

She said: “We have employers who have significant gaps in terms of finding the people they need to employ.

“The crucial place is Bassetlaw Hospital where they do not have enough nurses.

“It started off as a partnership with the hospital so we could get local people to a degree level.

“The biggest issue is when people leave the area, they don’t generally come back.”

The comments were made during the City of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire economic prosperity committee held today at Nottinghamshire County Council.

Coun White added: “We were able to win funds for a skills hub in Worksop town centre.

“Bassetlaw, like many places in this area, has a low skills output, we need to raise people’s aspirations and opportunities.

“The ambition of having it in the town centre is to tackle the problems with town centres. They are facing significant decline.”

The Skills and Education Hub will address skills shortages for the NHS and local businesses.

Funding of £3.5million was confirmed by the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership as an allocation from their Getting Building Fund in February.

The former Bridge Court building will be transformed into a modern and contemporary learning facility.

D2N2 said at the time: “The former Bridge Court building at the gateway to Worksop Town Centre will be transformed from a long-term neglected eyesore into a modern and contemporary learning facility as Bassetlaw District Council, along with its partners, enter the next phase of realising a shared vision.

“The Worksop Access to Skills Hub will offer opportunities across a range of subjects including health and social care; digital and digital transformation; green technologies and low carbon and construction. It will create 50 jobs and support 300 learners.”

A spokesperson at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: “With our partners within the Bassetlaw Integrated Care Partnership, together we have secured investment for a new educational facility within Worksop based within Bridge Court, which will have a particular focus on health and social care.

“Currently, people living in Bassetlaw wishing to undertake further and higher level training in these specialities have to leave the area to study, which reduces options for those unable to travel and results in local people being ‘lost’ to other areas.

“With opportunities for up to 300 students annually, by creating our Bridge Court campus it will help us to maintain a consistent supply of new and local talent in roles such as nursing, further positioning Bassetlaw Hospital as an employer of choice for young people and those looking for a career change and ultimately helping us address any staffing shortfalls.”