A unique campaign to persuade 190 nurses to base their careers at Slough's Wexham Park Hospital has seen the trust offer free accommodation to potential recruits.

Tom White, assistant human resources director at the hospital, said that the management team wanted nurses permanently based at the hospital to fill roles currently taken by agency or temporary staff.

It costs double to employ an agency nurse. But Mr White says that recruiting a permanent team has another major benefit - as patients prefer to get to know the nurses looking after them Wexham Park has no problem attracting nurses since the merger with Frimley Park Hospital.

But he said: "The blocker is high house prices in this area. Lots of nurses who apply are newly qualified and money is an issue.

"A nurse who applies to work here still has to go through interviews and checks and needs somewhere to live during that time."

So the trust has been making its nurses' accommodation free to potential recruits while they find their own homes, or are able to pay the £350 a month rental for a permanent on site flat. There are 50 nurses flats at Wexham Park and some at its sister hospital Heatherwood in Ascot.

Unlike some trusts Wexham Park never sold off all its nurses' flats.

The usual rent is £350 month - and 174 potential recruits are now going through the interview process. But lost rental income is not as high as this might suggest, because some of the flats were not occupied.

But the trust believes the savings in not having to meet agency nurse costs long term and the advantages of a home grown team make it worthwhile losing out on thousands of pounds in rent for a time.

Although the 174 potential nurses currently going through the scheme bade well for the plan to enlist 190 recruits,existing staff leaving may well mean the campaign needs to continue.

Mr White emphasised that the hope to recruit 190 nurses to replace agency staff needed putting in perspective, as the overall number of nurses employed is 2,500.

The scheme has lasted six weeks but it is understood it will probably be extended.