The campaign began ahead of the national ‘winter pressure period’ which sees NHS Trusts across the country compete for new staff to serve the increased number of patients in the colder months. Straight from the off we wanted to create a campaign that was considered and thoughtful – something that wasn’t just your standard recruitment campaign.

The concept of Caring Never Grows Old was borne out of the unwavering dedication and compassion that DCHS staff showed for their patients, and the timeless charm and working environment that the rolling Derbyshire countryside has to offer. At the heart of the campaign is a set of three documentary style videos, featuring real nurses from the DCHS team to celebrate the great work that goes on in the local community. We also created a website which allows people to discover more about living and working in Derbyshire and register their interest in the roles available.

Supported by a comprehensive outdoor, radio and online advertising campaign, the videos received over 12,000 views and the campaign exceeded all initial performance indicators. The original target was to attract 500 interested parties. By the end of the main campaign activity over 6000 people had enquired about the roles or attended an open day, which broke all previous estimates by 1200%.