An increased demand for A&E services, a year-on-year rise in ambulance arrivals and challenges surrounding recruitment of staff were just some of the topics under discussion at the James Paget University Hospital's latest board meeting.

The board of directors met at the Gorleston hospital last Friday and chief executive Christine Allen told the meeting that with increased demand for A&E services over the Christmas and New Year period, combined with an outbreak of norovirus, that the staff did a 'phenomenal job' in the face of 'extreme pressures.' Andrew Palmer, director of performance and planning, said the 'sustained level of pressure' would see the Trust come 'very close' to hitting a 70,000 attendance for the first time. He cited a year on year increase in ambulance arrivals of 14 per cent, and a further year on year increase of 9.12pc in demand for A&E.

A delay in nurses being recruited from abroad to work at the hospital was also discussed. Last October the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) revised the process for registering non-EU nurses, and Liz Libiszewski, director of nursing, quality and patient experience, said: 'Of the 25 European nurses who joined the Trust in mid-October, not all have obtained their NMC registration. We have been overseas in the past fortnight, to Portugal and to the Philippines, to recruit non-EU members of staff but the delays in registration mean it will be at least four months before these nurses are in the UK and able to practise.'

Chairman of the board, David Wright, said: 'Our priority is giving proper care. If we are being prevented from doing that through a bureaucratic issue we will call on Great Yarmouth MP Brandon Lewis to support us and help shortcut the bureaucratic part of it to get good quality nurses on the ground.'

Takeover Day

A group of year six students from the North Denes Junior School in Great Yarmouth were presented with certificates at yesterday's meeting after a takeover day was hailed a success. Last November six pupils from the school in Jellicoe Road, Yarmouth 'took over' the workplace at the JPUH, and 'seeing things from a child's perspective' three films were made during their visit, and these were showcased to the board. With key priorities for 2015/16 outlined, along with the approval of the latest Care Quality Commission application, an update on Lowestoft Hospital was also given. Mark Flynn, director of finance, said 'the future use of the site' had been discussed with partners and the public will be updated soon.