NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has officially signed up 536 newly qualified nurses and midwives as part of this year’s intake.
The vast majority come from universities across the West of Scotland, with smaller numbers coming from further afield in Scotland and from England.
The new cohort will provide support across sites including Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Royal Alexandra Hospital, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, The Vale of Leven Hospital and Inverclyde Royal Hospital, with a number also working within the community.
Dr Margaret McGuire, Director of Nursing for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said:
“The nurses and midwives joining the health board officially this week marks a significant and unique recruitment of graduates and reflects one of the most important periods in our history. Along with their numbers, they bring a wealth of additional experience gained in the past 6 months.
“This will be invaluable in supporting us in our response to COVID-19 as we move into winter, and the experience alone will bolster their own careers as they move into their chosen specialisms within healthcare.”
The newly qualified graduates will strengthen the existing 12,300 qualified nurses and midwives to deliver high quality person centred care to more than one million people across Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Dr McGuire added: “Greater Glasgow and Clyde represents the biggest and busiest health board in Scotland, and it remains a destination for many graduates who recognise the breadth of opportunities for them to develop their careers. New staff will learn from a highly skilled and experienced workforce and will play a central role in the ongoing delivery of high-quality person centred care during what is an unprecedented period for the health service.
“As always, we are absolutely committed to ensuring that the appropriate structures and networks exists to support all of our new staff so they are able to grow and develop personally and professionally, while helping us maintain an extremely high level of care in an exceptional set of circumstances.
“I want to thank all our nurses and midwives for their professionalism, dedication and kindness to the people the care for and would remind them to be kind to themselves and colleagues as well.”