More nurses are to be recruited over the coming months for hospitals in Huddersfield and Calderdale.

Around £1.5m will be spent in the next year recruiting more nurses to Calderdale Royal Hospital and Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, the Trust’s annual general meeting was told.

The pledge came from chairman Andrew Haigh, who said the recruitment was to ensure the care at the Trust is as safe and effective as it can be for patients across the area after national cases where there had been failings.

The Trust is expected to recruit about 70 nurses over the course of the next 12 months.

They will work in various departments of both hospitals.

Mr Haigh also spoke of his pride after the Trust received a full compliance rating from the Care Quality Commission following two intensive checks.

He said: “This is something we are proud of – but not complacent about – as it informs our patients that our care, right across our community services, wards and clinics is up to standard.”

And he paid tribute to staff for delivering care in such times of great change.

He said: “They are the beating heart of this Trust and yet again it has been a year of successes for them.”

The annual meeting at The Shay, Halifax, which was open to the public, also included a health-fair showcasing innovation in patient care and other major developments from the past year.

These included an appearance by Bing, the Trust’s 3g training mannequin, and a hand hygiene stand showing the latest technologies targeting infection prevention and control.

Guests were also invited to test hospital food and new menus featuring homemade soups.