NHS Professionals (NHSP) has launched a national campaign to boost and support the NHS by attracting more healthcare professionals into the service.

The campaign, ‘Stand Up, Step Forward, Save Lives’, aims to raise awareness of NHS Professionals’ Covid-19 Rapid Response service, launched last week to accelerate the bank registration process and move qualified nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals to the front line as quickly as possible.

NHSP runs the largest staff bank within the NHS and is owned by the Department for Health and Social Care.

NHSP is welcoming professionals from any part of the healthcare system, whether NHS or private, recently retired or students. 

Nicola McQueen, NHS Professionals’ chief executive, said: “Stand Up, Step Forward, Save Lives is answering the clear call from the healthcare community keen to help on the front line by providing a simple route to get there. NHS Professionals provides one of the fastest and most straightforward ways back into the service, if you’re a student nurse, retired healthcare professional or if you’re already in the system and would like to work additional shifts.”

She added: “Our Rapid Response service has already attracted thousands of registrations of interest and applications. I’m incredibly proud of our unbelievable team, who are working round the clock to get these fantastic, dedicated healthcare professionals back into action as quickly as possible. I’d like to say thank you so much to everyone trying to register with our bank. We are fully committed to ensuring that you are able to provide the patient care that you want to and at the location that suits you.”

Karen Stephens-Green is a retired nurse from Hatfield, Hertfordshire who has recently registered to the NHSP bank and is now available to work at her local hospitals. She said: “I retired from the NHS in October and said all my goodbyes. I really didn’t think I would be back so soon after 40 years working as a nurse. We’re all doing our part and even though I have a family, I think: what if it was my family member who needed a nurse – so it’s an easy choice to make. We have to be all in this together.”

Caroline Broad (pictured), a retired nurse from Deal, Kent added: “I retired three years ago and really wanted to come back and help. I am a senior nurse willing to do anything.”