Case Study: Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust reduces vacancies with NHS Employers reward-led recruitment

Using reward as part of an effective recruitment strategy

Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust worked with NHS Employers to address major recruitment and retention pressures in a rural, coastal setting with poor transport links and persistent vacancies in hard-to-fill roles. As part of its wider recruitment strategy, the trust needed to attract skilled staff locally and from further afield while increasing substantive staffing and reducing agency spend.

NHS Employers supported the trust to strengthen its reward-led recruitment approach through initiatives such as a refer-a-friend scheme, a dedicated recruitment website, a Welcome to North Devon video, relocation support, and a clearer A-Z of benefits. The results were strong: nursing vacancies fell from 10% to 6% and then to 4%, applicant numbers rose by more than 400%, turnover dropped by 2%, and applications in some roles increased by up to 50%, alongside a continued reduction in non-medical agency use.

Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust