School of Law student working for NHS to recruit staff during COVID-19 pandemic
School of Law student Lauryn Graham had to fly home from her study abroad year in Shanghai, China in February of this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
When Lauryn returned to the UK she was at somewhat of a loss of what to do with her time as the on-campus placements she had applied for, in lieu of a second semester abroad, were also curtailed due to the pandemic.
Since March the British Government have been focusing on NHS staff recruitment, and with a background in recruitment, Lauryn saw an opportunity to help. She applied for a clerical position working for the NHS at Royal Bolton Hospital.
Lauryn explained what she has been doing in her role, ‘I am currently on a full-time assignment to the Employee Service Centre at the hospital and I am responsible for all recruitment within the ‘Team Bolton’ project. The initiative targets retired NHS staff, current medical students, as well as people from other professions, and has been set up to recruit staff to bolster numbers during the Covid-19 pandemic. This is something that I am really enjoying and I’m very proud to be a part of this initiative.’
Lauryn has also worked extra shifts for the hospital’s ‘Wellness Team’ and ‘Meals for the NHS’.
‘All NHS hospitals are allocated 1,500 free meals, and Royal Bolton Hospital have been distributing 300 meals a week, every Wednesday for five weeks. We meet with local restaurants to collect meals and then distribute the meals to night staff on shift. The project was set up with the primary purpose of providing free meals for night staff as hospital canteens often close around 7pm. The project also aims to benefit local business, as money is raised from donations and then this is used to place orders with local restaurants who are struggling during the lockdown.’
The School are extremely proud of Lauryn and all our students who are contributing to the national and global effort to fight COVID-19.