After more than two years of the pandemic, French hospitals have suffered. Toulouse University Hospital is no exception to the rule. 140 beds had to be closed for lack of sufficient staff. And to attract candidates, the CHU has launched an attractiveness plan.

“Before the covid crisis, there were already warning signs of weariness among healthcare staff. The pandemic has exacerbated them“. This is the observation of the Director of Human Resources (HRD) of the Toulouse University Hospital.

Today, nearly 10% of these employees are no longer in their service. First consequence of this absenteeism: the closing of beds. In Toulouse, 140 beds had to be eliminated. And half of them are for lack of sufficient staff.

A tense situation, but nevertheless less serious than in other university hospitals in France.

But then, do you comment to new candidates already exhausted by two and a half years of pandemic?

“ We have implemented an attractiveness plan with promises of hiring and rapid career development“, explains the HRD.

Concretely, the human resources department boasts of a “de-precarization” of their employees.

No more repeated fixed-term contracts, new recruits are now hired on permanent contracts and can become civil servants 6 months later.

On the strength of this strategy, the Toulouse University Hospital is doing job dating. “After several phases of remote recruitment, we are organizing a 5th face-to-face at the start of the school year in September.“, emphasizes Edouard Douheret.

In total, 105 positions are available at the Toulouse University Hospital. Including nurses, nursing assistants, maintenance workers, logistics workers, administrative staff, physiotherapists and radio operators.

There is an urgent need to recruit so that our employees, already tired, can take their summer vacation.

Christophe Mazin, general secretary CHU Toulouse

Recruitment more difficult to achieve for lack of applications. In Cahors, faced with the lack of personnel, the hospital was placed under a white plan.

In Bordeaux, night emergencies will now be closed to the public for the same reasons.

” In Toulouse we are not there yet. The situation is certainly tense. There is indeed a problem of absenteeism which is becoming structured but for the moment this does not threaten our activity.“, assures Christophe Mazin.

Currently the Toulouse University Hospital can count on 2170 beds, i.e. an occupancy rate of 86%.