The National Health Service is turning to the web to help with the current recruitment crisis in nursing.

The NHS South West London Workforce Development Confederation, which has responsibility for employment in that area of the UK's capital, is the first to set up a website to pool candidates and promote job vacancies.

The system, developed by IT service provider Parity, will enable the team to match available skills to the 5,000 nursing vacancies in London.

It will also allow staff to record and manage their own job applications while regular e-mails will notify them of suitable positions.

"Staffing issues in the NHS are notoriously problematic and time consuming," said Jane Tobin, Assistant Development Director at the SWLWDC.

"Through the use of Parity's recruiting solutions and services we are able to significantly improve the hiring, retention and management of key staff, which will ultimately impact the level of care and service provided to patients," she said.