North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust has received a pastoral care award for its work in supporting internationally-recruited nurses.
They have been recruiting international nurses for over 20 years. Now, the organisation has been recognised with a national award for the care and support it offers to them.
The NHS Pastoral Care Quality Award scheme, launched in 2022, recognises a commitment to supporting internationally educated nurses and midwives at every stage of recruitment and beyond. International nurses already have the technical skills needed to become nurses in the NHS. However, the necessary qualifications, communication barriers and cultural differences can make the move to the UK challenging.
Becky Johnson is an advanced clinical practitioner coordinator at the Trust. Her role involves supporting international recruits with clinical skills to pass their OSCE test – an assessment of competence for nurses which is mandatory to practice as a registered nurse in the NHS.
Along the way, Becky found a number of obstacles as the nurses settled into their new home in the UK. Affectionately known to the Trust’s latest cohort of international nurses as ‘Mum’, she has since supported them with travel, accommodation, registering with GP practices. She has even helped them in understanding colloquialisms and nuances in the English language.
