The campaign, created by Leo Burnett, builds on the hard-hitting 2002 D'Arcy nursing recruitment campaign. The spot featured the startling image of a girl's scarred face as she sits in a cafe, while the numerous NHS staff who have helped her recover from her trauma are listed.
In the new recruitment ad a man, who has been struck down by an epilepsy attack, is shot in slow motion as he walks along a walkway and then down some stairs. However halfway down the stairs he collapses, falling to the bottom of the flight. The ad uses voiceovers to describe the man's journey through the NHS, done by real staff and promoting careers as varied as cardiographer, radiographer and GP.
At the end of the film a title comes up, "Step by step, they helped me find my feet".
The campaign was written and art directed by Jon Daniel and Simon Impey, and directed by Malcolm Venville through Therapy Films. Venville also directed the earlier nursing spot. Media planning is by Starcom MediaVest and buying by MediaCom.
Paul Shearer, joint executive creative director at Leo Burnett, said: "This ad is a stunning piece of film and the most dramatic work we've done for the Department of Health yet -- we expect it to be even more effective than our previous work."
The Department of Health says that the NHS Careers campaign has helped attract 50,000 new nurses to the service since it launched in 2000.
Health secretary John Reid said: "We are confident that this new campaign will be as successful as previous years' and that it will attract interest from new staff into a range of different careers as well as encourage ex-healthcare professionals to return to the NHS."
The television ad will run for six weeks backed by press advertising, including two new ads aimed directly at midwives and radiographers. Smaller ads will promote the benefits of a career in the NHS, such as flexible working.
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