NURSES lent a helping hand at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre open day in a bid to recruit more staff.

The hospital in Windmill Road, Headington, employs about 900 people. It is looking for new health care assistants and other trained staff.

Louise Morgan, a ward sister from Headington, said: “I think it was a successful day.

“We had about 40 people turn up over the course of the day to hear more about our work and go on a tour of the centre.

“The Nuffield is a small and friendly hospital and there are lots of opportunities to learn new skills.”

The open day last Wednesday ran from 9am until 5pm and followed a recruitment session last month.

Ms Morgan added: “New staff will be able to work with experts in their field in a welcoming environment.”

The centre is one of four hospitals run by Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust.

It started as the Wingfield Convalescent Home in 1872 and served as a military hospital during the First World War.

Oxford car magnate William Morris – Lord Nuffield – donated £70,000 to rebuild the Wingfield Convalescent Centre in 1930 and later founded the Nuffield Foundation in 1943 to develop education and social welfare.

The Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust was formed in 1991 and an extensive rebuilding project was completed in 2008.

On November 1, 2011, the trust merged with Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust to become Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust.