BLACKBURN'S Beardswood Hospital is one of the first in the country to sign up to a new cyberspace initiative designed to revolutionise healthcare recruitment.

The hospital, part of the BMI Group, has signed a deal with HospitalHub UK Ltd which recruits hospital staff over the Internet.

The system works by matching jobs with candidates, alerting both employers and potential employees about staff and career opportunities.

The new recruitment site, www.hospitalhubuk.com, is a joint venture with the multi-billion dollar Gannett Co. Inc., of America, which is one of the UK's largest regional newspaper publishers whose titles include The Lancashire Evening Telegraph.

Bill Oakley, director of recruitment at HospitalHub UK, said hospital trusts were now starting to follow the BMI Group by signing on to the site.

"We believe the impact the HospitalHub system will have on healthcare recruitment in the UK will be immediate, dramatically increasing candidate applications and widening the net to attract nurses from all over the world," he said.