MANAGERS at Andover War Memorial Hospital have launched a major recruitment campaign in a bid to solve staffing shortages at every level of the nursing team.

Recruitment is at such a low point the hospital will be holding an open evening for anyone interested in nursing as a career - whether or not they have had any previous experience.

There's a 10 per cent staff shortage at the hospital. It needs to fill 10 vacancies ranging from care assistants to sister, out of a total nursing staff team of 100 - including full and part time.

A spokeswoman said that although services are not being affected by the shortages, they are putting extra strain on existing staff who have to work longer hours to cover.

The hospital is hoping to attract back nurses who have spent a period away from the NHS either in other jobs or bringing up a family.

It has already had a measure of success. Louise Weston, aged 38, left her job at Andover after her second child was born.

Instead of going back on the wards she took up a job in a nursing home.

But after 11 years, during which time she reached management level, she has returned to the NHS where she can work in more acute nursing.

Liz Dundas, aged 40, has also returned to the hospital after a break of six years while she was bringing up a young family.

She needed to complete a 'return to practice' four-month course because she had been out of nursing for more than six years.

Hospital manager Mary Critcher said: "We're always delighted to recruit to our nursing team, but it's especially rewarding to welcome back nurses like these who have such great experience to offer.

"The trust is always looking for ways to develop nurses' careers and invest in them as well as offer family-friendly policies which help them to balance their work and home life."

Nurses also have increased salaries to look forward to from next autumn because the Government's Agenda for Change means most nursing grades will be paid more to reflect more responsibility. The open evening is in the conference room at the hospital on Wednesday from 5pm to 8pm.