The current number of vacancies in the NHS workforce in England is 125,572 and staff shortages in social care are even greater with around 152,000 vacancies in England.

Some good news, however, is the announcement that the Health & Social Care Job Show is taking place this weekend at the UK’s busiest shopping centre – Westfield Shopping Centre in White City, London.

Simeon Jackson, Event Organiser at the Health & Social Care Job Show, commented: “The healthcare sector in the UK has long been the envy of the wider world, but it’s well documented that it is vastly under-resourced with staff vacancies still putting strain on the system.

The Health and Social Care Job Show attracted over 16,000 registered visitors in 2023 and has exhibitors ranging from NHS Trusts to large and small social care providers, private hospitals, care homes, training providers, as well as charities, universities, foster care organisations, dentists, physiotherapists along with local authorities. We’re expecting this year’s show to be even more successful than the previous”.

Georgia Bodley, Senior Event Manager from Data4NHDS commented: “We are thrilled to be attending the Health and Social Care Job Show! Data4NHS is one of the largest healthcare databases in the UK, offering a range of online services exclusively for NHS professionals. With partnerships with respected societies and healthcare organisations, our free members only service provides access to medical education opportunities, events, job boards, and more. We can’t wait to connect with healthcare professionals at the event!”

Westfield W12 is considered the UK’s most prestigious shopping destination and has a natural footfall of around 250,000 every Friday and Saturday. By taking the show to the main hub of a busy shopping centre, the Health & Social Care Job Show makes it even more accessible for job seekers.

The show will allow NHS Trust and Social Care providers to stand out offline, meet thousands of jobseekers face-to-face, create a talent pool, network, and share ideas with other health organisations, and even interview pre-screened candidates immediately and hire them directly – consequently saving time and money in the long run.

Andrew Atkinson from Midlands Partnership commented: “Committed to championing excellence in health and social care, Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust. We are a diverse group of Specialist Services who share a passion for delivering high-quality services that achieve positive outcomes for the people we serve.  Through supporting and valuing our teams we make a positive difference to people every single day of the year. Join us at the Health and Social Care Job Show 2024 as we showcase opportunities and find out how you can make a real difference in people’s lives.”

Exhibitors currently include: Sweet Tree Home Care, Surrey & Borders Partnership Trust, University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire, Anchor Hanover Group, East Of England Ambulance Trust, South West London & St Georges NHS Trust, London Borough Hammersmith & Fulham (Fostering), Certitude, NHS Blood & Transplant, London North West Hospital (Radiology & Trust), Midlands Partnership NHS Trust, Social Interest Group, Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust (Pharmacy Dept), Connect Health, In Health Group, HCA Healthcare, West London NHS Trust City University of London, Sign Health, Denta Prime, Data 4 NHS Central London Community Healthcare, LDN London, Livewell Southeast, Forward Trust, Milton Keynes University Hospital and QA Higher Education.

Speaking about taking part in this year’s Health and Social Care Job Show, Rav Randhawa from Social Interest Group said: “We are so excited to be taking part in the Job Show this year for the first time! As an employer, we look for real, passionate people who are looking to make a difference to people’s lives! We are extremely excited to showcase what we have to offer and meet as many potential candidates as possible to have a chat, share our experiences, hear about yours, and hopefully find you the right role in our organisation to apply to!”

The Health and Social Care Job Show is FREE to attend – please just register for your tickets here – www.healthjobslive.org