A PRIVATE hospital near Taunton is holding a recruitment open day this week in a bid to tackle the staff shortage across the health care sector.

Staff from Cygnet Hospital Taunton will be talking about how local jobseekers can make a positive difference to the lives of people with mental illness.

The hospital in Orchard Portman wants to take on more health workers to help provide a range of specialist inpatient services for older adults with mental health problems and for men diagnosed with a learning disability.

Cygnet head of resourcing Rowan Marriott said: “The recruitment challenge facing the health care sector has been well documented recently.

"Increased demand for specialist services like ours means it is crucial to recruit talented and compassionate individuals to help reduce the current pressure on the sector.

“Previous experience is not essential, but it is important that applicants have a passion for delivering outstanding care and helping others.

"Many of our most dedicated staff members started out as support workers and they will be on hand to share their experiences at the open day for people interested in a career in care."

Cygnet offers new staff a range of incentives.

The open day is at The Cygnet Health Care Stadium, Wordsworth Drive, Taunton, on Thursday (December 2), from 10am to 4pm.