UK - Calling Doctors and Nurses Out of Retirement

http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/h5n1/2009/08/uk-calling-doctors-and-nurses-out-of-retirement.html

Even as the first wave begins to die down, the UK is smart to anticipate the 2nd. Argentina has done this in their first wave. Will the US and Canada do likewise in the fall?

The NHS has begun approaching retired doctors, nurses and other staff to work if the swine flu pandemic gets worse.

Some employers are contacting staff who left up to three years ago while others have set a limit of one year.

Five trusts asked by Nursing Times’ sister publication Health Service Journal said they had started approaching former staff, suggesting that many more trusts across the country may be taking the same action.

NHS East Sussex Downs and Weald and NHS Hastings and Rother said that together they had sent letters about helping to tackle the swine flu pandemic to 60 people who had retired in the past year, and received 10 agreements.

North Somerset PCT has 23 agreements from nursing and administrative staff who retired within the past two years. Brent PCT has approached 55 retirees from the past three years and has had 15 agreements.