We’re delighted to have received the NHS Pastoral Care Quality Award for the high level of care and support we provide to our international nurses.
Since our international recruitment programme began in 2021 we have recruited over 90 nurses and allied health professionals from overseas. Colleagues are provided with a full pastoral package, including accommodation, training and education and a wide range of other support. This includes tours of the local area, introductions to community groups and anything else they require to settle into their new role and home.
The Quality Award, presented by NHS England as part of its International Recruitment Programme, recognises the Trust’s commitment to supporting the pastoral needs of international nurses who have often travelled thousands of miles to work in our NHS services.
Neil Savage, Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development, said: “We and our patients have benefitted hugely from the international nurses we have recruited in recent years. They bring a wide range of skills, knowledge and expertise to our services. However, we recognise the huge challenges they can face in moving to another country and into an unfamiliar place and role.
“We have gone to great lengths to make the transition as smooth as possible and to provide ongoing support so that our nurses feel welcomed and become fully settled, meaning they will have a long and fulfilling career with us.”
The NHS has always benefited from overseas recruitment and from nurses coming from other countries to live and work in England. Recruitment from outside of the UK continues to feature as an important part of the workforce supply strategy of NHS organisations, in line with the NHS People Plan. The NHS Long Term Plan sets out the ambitions for the NHS over the next 10 years, identifying ethical international recruitment as a workforce priority. NHS England’s International Recruitment Programme is delivering an ethical and sustainable recruitment model and the programme supports NHS organisations to increase and develop their international recruitment plans.
Launched in March 2022, the NHS Pastoral Care Quality Award scheme is helping to standardise the quality and delivery of pastoral care for internationally educated nurses and midwives across England to ensure they receive high-quality pastoral support. It’s also an opportunity for trusts to recognise their work in international recruitment and demonstrate their commitment to staff wellbeing both to potential and existing employees. Through the scheme, NHS trusts can apply for a quality award based on their international recruitment practices for nurses and midwives. To achieve the award, they must meet a set of standards for best practice pastoral care, which have been co-developed with regional and trust international recruitment leads and international nursing and midwifery associations. By achieving the award, trusts demonstrate a commitment to supporting internationally educated nurses and midwives at every stage of their recruitment and beyond.
You can find information about the award on the NHS England website here: NHS England » NHS Pastoral Care Quality Award – International nurses and midwives
