Evelina Children's Hospital has 31pc nurse vacancy rate

A report on nursing workforce said the biggest gaps in nursing workforce across the trust were at the Evelina and in critical care.

It warned that the Evelina has a 31% shortfall across its three wards and critical care has a 14.2% vacancy rate, although the trust hopes that appointments in the recruitment pipeline should reduce this to 5%.

The report went on to detail the shortfall in the children’s hospital, noting that it currently has 56 vacancies, 37 of which are band 5.

Meanwhile, the number of staff on maternity leave is described as a “constant challenge” and equates to 5-7% of the workforce. In some areas it is as high as 10%, which equates to 30 posts across the children’s hospital, it said.

“We have planned a series of recruitment campaigns over the spring and summer and are planning to look to recruit in Ireland to fill our more senior posts within specialist areas,” the report added.