Chester-le-Street news
Local charity goes Inside
Out for suicide prevention
Medical recruiter fills over 2,500
nursing care roles during Covid battle
Dozens of North-East companies
stepped up to help the NHS during
lockdown but chief among them
was Chester-le-Street-based MedSolve UK
The UK full-service recruiter MedSolve
UK filled well over 2,500 medical roles
across the North-East and South-West when
the crisis was at its peak.
The roles were created to cover 12-hour
shifts across both nursing and care staff,
and were a growing addition to the firm’s
permanent division, which also placed 18
key professionals into positions across the
UK including senior carers, nurses, deputy
managers, home managers and regional
management.
The surge in demand for medical staff
canes as the coronavirus outbreak swept
the UK in spring and summer, prompting a
call for help to ease pressure on the NHS by
increasing staffing levels.
As a result, MedSolve sought to recruit
additional nursing and care staff to support
its clients, predominantly in nursing and
residential care homes.
Lisa Dodds, managing director of
MedSolve UK, said: “Our experienced staff
were amazing – picking up as many shifts as
they possibly could.
“Coronavirus had an impact on businesses
everywhere and we were no different –
having to completely adapt by changing our
usual interview process.”
She added: “It was amazing for us to be
able to assist our clients in filling important
roles within an urgent timeframe and our
team was fantastic in offering that external
support.”
MedSolve UK is a medical recruiter
supporting clients across the UK to fill
vacant positions with experienced healthcare
professionals.
Suicide prevention charity If U Care Share
Foundation are relaunching their Inside
Out campaign which reached out to more
than 19 million people last year.
The Chester-le-Street-based organisation
is urging people to go ‘Inside Out’ on
World Suicide Prevention Day, Thursday,
September 10.
Inside Out is a national campaign ran
by the charity, founded by Daniel O’Hare’s
family after the 19-year-old took his own
life in 2005.
The charity aims to get more people
talking about suicide and mental health
by encouraging them to wear an item
of clothing inside out and filling social
media with hashtags #AskMeWhy and
#InsideOut.
Last year the campaign was supported by
Olympic gold medalist Mo Farah, England
women’s captain Steph Houghton and TV
presenter Gabby Logan.
Metalwork firm diversifies
during Covid pandemic
EXECUTIVE HOUSING
ON LAMBTON ESTATE
High-quality
housing on
the edge of
Chesterle-Street
will add to
the attractiveness of the area as the iconic
Lambton Estate takes on a new lease of life.
Miller Homes has been responsible for
the development of Lambton Park which
will comprise of 106 three, four and fivebedroomed
houses.
The first buyers moved into their
properties earlier this year and Miller Homes
is proud to have added such high-quality
housing stock to the Chester-le-Street area.
The homes were designed by renowned
architect and interior designer, Ben
Pentreath, and are entirely bespoke to be
in keeping with the heritage of the famous
estate which dates back to the 11th century.
Komatsu plans for the future
create leaders of tomorrow
One of the
region’s leading
manufacturers
is creating a
production
line of future leaders.
As well as designing, developing and
making world-renowned excavators,
Komatsu UK is also making sure the region
is stocked with engineering leaders, with its
focus on upskilling its Birtley workforce.
A cohort of 28 employees recently
graduated from the company’s in-house
Institute of Leadership Management (ILM)
qualification – helping ensure it has the
capabilities to meet and surpass future
manufacturing and engineering needs.
With 15 members of staff completing the
Level 3 qualification and 13 successfully
finishing Level 5, the Chester-le-Street-based
firm remains focused on developing and
improving the skills of its workforce.
County Durham metalwork and
fabrication company Steelcraft
adjusted its business model during the
Covid-19 outbreak in a bid to keep
thousands of workers safe.
The company normally specialises
in bespoke architectural metalwork,
including railings, gates, balustrade
and handrails.
But the arrival of the Covid-19
pandemic saw it switch to producing
clear screens to help create a safe
environment, particularly where
members of the public and members
of staff interact.
The company has now designed
sneeze screens suitable for desks,
counters and walkways to help
businesses return to work safely.
The protective screens can be used
in a variety of settings including
offices, shops, restaurants, banks, and
pharmacies.
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