Portuguese hospitals expand nursing staff to bolster healthcare capacity

Healthcare facilities in Portugal are implementing recruitment drives to strengthen nursing staff and improve service capacity.

In Lisbon, the ULS de São José integrated 137 new nurses between July and early October. This reinforcement targets critical areas including operating rooms, intensive care units (adult and pediatric), general and pediatric emergency services, gynecology, obstetrics, and mental health. The hiring includes both replacement contracts and permanent positions to address retirements, staff resignations, and the expansion of cerebrovascular and emergency observation units. The initiative also aims to prepare for increased winter demand and reduce the need for overtime.

In the Azores, the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo (HDES) in Ponta Delgada has opened a competition for 25 permanent nursing positions. The hospital aims to consolidate its workforce and reduce excessive overtime, which exceeded 52,900 hours in June. The recruitment is intended to address structural challenges such as an 18% absenteeism rate, parental leave, and an aging workforce, where more than a quarter of nurses are over the age of 50.