A North East hospital’s success in recruiting nurses from abroad has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award for nursing.
The Overseas Nursing project to recruit new mental health nurses to Walkergate Park Hospital in Newcastle was shortlisted in the Best International Recruitment Experience category for the Nursing Times Workforce Summit Awards 2019.
NTW is one of the first UK NHS Trusts to offer mental health nursing opportunities overseas. In just over a year the Trust has successfully relocated eight nursing staff from two sites in India to join hard-to-fill vacancies, with more staff set to follow in the coming months.
Walkergate Park is one of the most advanced centres of its kind in Europe, with extensive experience and expertise in managing physical disabilities, neurobehavioural, neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric problems.
Part of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (NTW) which provides mental health and disability services across the North East, the hospital provides a wide range of services for people with a disability caused by injury or disease affecting the brain, spinal cord or muscles.
We are hugely pleased that our team’s hard work has been recognised by being shortlisted for this prestigious award.
However we are even more delighted that our new Nurses report they are very happy in the work that they do, they are respected team members and their respective families are settled into their homes and continue to flourish.
Our existing staff have felt energized by the increase in qualified nurses, and the impact of the new recruits’ motivation and enthusiasm has really helped strengthen our overall staff motivation and energy.
Gary O’HareExecutive Director of Nursing and Chief Operating Officer at NTW
The Nursing Times Workforce Summit Awards celebrate excellence in personnel planning and management that contributes to sustaining the best possible nursing workforce, across 14 keenly-contested categories.
NTW’s team have been nominated in the Best International Recruitment Experience category, which recognises organisations’ strategic approach to improving the recruitment experience for overseas nurses and midwives coming to work in the UK.
The recruitment process was supported by both senior staff members and, crucially, a new and dedicated Senior Nurse (Resettlement Support Officer) role providing comprehensive support in order to make the transition as seamless and supportive as possible for staff relocating to the UK.
The Resettlement Support Officer worked in detail with each individual member of staff recruited, providing dedicated help and support with every aspect of relocation to the UK.
This ranged from developing peer support networks for new recruits, to help setting up accommodation and GP registration, and orienting new staff and their families to all aspects of the area they will be living.
All entries to the Nursing Times Workforce Awards were judged on their innovation, value, adaptability for other healthcare organisations and the extent organisations collaborated positively with other professionals or services.
The winners will be revealed at a ceremony in London on Wednesday 25 September, with the Nursing Times Workforce Summit taking place earlier the same day. The summit will bringing together planning expertise and real-life case studies to support the recruitment, retention and development of the future nursing and midwifery workforce.