Trust which runs Grantham hospital tries to attract doctors to Lincolnshire A&Es

The trust which runs Grantham Hospital is visiting Bournemouth in an attempt to recruit doctors to its struggling A&E departments.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) is attending the Royal College of Emergency Medicine’s annual scientific conference.

The trust says thet a team “armed with ULHT and Lincolnshire goodies” and headed by A&E consultant Dr Ben Loryman is heading south to try to attract doctors to its hospitals and the county. Dr Loryman will be joined by consultant Dr Meg Kelly, Michelle Rudd, a nurse consultant and Steve Ryland, an advanced nurse practitioner.

Currently ULHT doesn’t have enough doctors to fill shifts in its three A&E departments 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As a result ULHT closed Grantham A&E from 6.30pm to 9am every night since August 17 ‘to help maintain safe services’.

Bournemouth is first of a number of events being attended by the team to encourage highly experienced doctors to consider coming to work at hospitals in Lincolnshire.

A&E consultant Dr Ben Loryman said: “I’m really excited to be going to the conference with such a great team and I’m looking forward to telling people what a great place Lincolnshire is to live and work. With the support of local produce suppliers and Visit Lincoln, ULHT will have a high-profile stand promoting all that’s good about Lincolnshire’s hospitals and the county to attract doctors to our A&Es. We’re looking to recruit the best registrars as well as consultants to relocate to our lovely part of the world.

“ULHT is busy trying to recruit doctors to in the UK and abroad. We have funded new, innovative part-time A&E doctor posts where they will work at ULHT for a few days a week and spend the rest of the time studying for fully funded master degrees or PhDs. They can do a CESR rotation – on the job training to become consultants. We think we are the only trust in the country to offer this enticing package”.

The team will be at Bournemouth International Centre on September 20, 21 and 22.