This Friday is Overseas NHS Workers' Day and we are proudly celebrating the value that our overseas workers bring to North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust.
Many of our medical and nursing staff have been recruited from overseas due to chronic recruitment challenges in these areas.
The support we provide for our International Medical Graduates was showcased at a National Levelling Up conference earlier this month.
And since the first group of 15 overseas educated nurses arrived in 2021, 384 have now made the move being allocated to the Cumberland Infirmary, West Cumberland Hospital and Community Services. It’s seen our nursing vacancy rate halved and become one of the lowest in the region.
As an organisation, not only are we in a much better staffing position from a nursing point of view, we also benefit from having a more diverse workforce. In 2021, 5.9 per cent of staff were from ethnic minorities and this is now 12.9 per cent - more than double.
Many of our nurses have brought over their families and this has an impact on the wider community. Celebrations such as Diwali are now more vibrant and better attended, their children are attending schools and their spouses gaining employment in different areas.
Noticing an increased presence positive impact of ethnic minority groups in Carlisle, the Cumberland News got in touch to find out about the experiences of some of our overseas educated nurses, the support we offer and how we deal with some of the challenges it brings.
Endoscopy nurses
“I’ve met beautiful people, sometimes I wish I could bring them a bouquet of flowers every day.”
The endoscopy unit at the Cumberland Infirmary is one of the teams to have benefitted from overseas educated nurses filling their vacancies. A group of six overseas educated nurses have fitted right in and love their new roles.
Sheryl Noronya made the move from India around two years ago and explained the process they had been through to pass exams and leave family behind. They complete an exam called and Observed Structural Clinical Examination (OSCE) and undertook other clinical skills training. The Trust now has its own OSCE centre, but before that was in place, nurses were trained in groups in Crewe and then supported to find accommodation and settle in the community by our dedicated pastoral support co-ordinator, Beverley Bennett. The support we provide which includes guidance on registering for a GP and opening a bank account was awarded the NHS Pastoral Care Quality Award in August 2023.
Also key to overseas educated nurses settling in the Trust, is the support they receive from the team they are placed in.
It’s clear that the support the endoscopy nurses have had from Karen Prokas, endoscopy unit senior sister, and her team has made a huge difference to their experience on the unit.
Taiwo Oluwasola came to Carlisle from Nigeria with her husband who is training to be a doctor. She said: “I look forward to coming to work every day. I’ve been here a year and learnt a lot. Karen is a very open person and she has supported me in every way. I’ve met beautiful people – amazing personalities. Sometimes I wish I could just bring a bouquet of flowers every day for them.”
Apart from the cold weather, the nurses were full of praise for Carlisle, although Geethu Kurian also commented on some initial communication difficulties that she has now seemingly conquered.
“Some of our English colleagues are trying to learn some of our language and some are making good progress.”
Karen said: “They’re probably the most respectful people I’ve ever managed. When they first used to come when we walked into the room they’d stand up and bow to us and we’d say, guys, what you doing”.
Neethu Monahan Lal
“I always leave my patients with a smile no matter how sad their circumstances are.”
Neethu now works at Hilltop Heights in Carlisle as a community nurse visiting patients in their own homes.
She came to the UK from Dubai where she worked as an A&E nurse, although she is originally from India.
She lives in Harraby, Carlisle, and loves her job.
She said: “I’ve been made to feel so welcome by everyone. I have not encountered any racism at all from anyone. I always leave my patients with a smile no matter how sad their circumstances are.
Out of work she enjoys going to church with her family.
She said: “I tend to drive a lot for work so when I get time off I tend to stay indoors and not go anywhere. Cumbria is very rural so sometimes using the sat nav can be a bit tricky – especially if you’re visiting a patient in rural Brampton on a dark night!
“I am used to lots of the roads now and even know the short cuts!
“It is so cold here though. I never ever thought it would be this cold. My children play out when they can. They don’t wait for the afternoon. They go out when the weather is good – even if that’s first thing in the morning as you never know what the weather is going to be like later on in the day.”
Although the nurses we spoke to as part of the interview all had a positive experience, it’s not been the same for everyone and some of the nurses have experience racism and discrimination both inside and outside of work.
Jason Cram, Deputy Chief Nurse said, “We’re doing all we can to tackle this across the organisation including showing colleagues the very real impact that their behaviour can have.”
“Over the last 18 months, 1,300 staff have been on our hard hitting psychological safety training which shows the devastating impact of harmful behaviour.”
“We have to stop this behaviour in its tracks. We are on the lookout for harmful behaviour and we will work together to eliminate it.”
“Overall, it’s been a phenomenal success, we simply wouldn’t be able to function without them. These people have gone to extraordinary lengths to come here and they aren’t just a part of the hospital family, they are a very welcome part of our community, which is richer for them being here.”