Cumbria, Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Trust (CNTW) has become the first mental health and disability NHS Trust awarded the NHS Pastoral Care Quality Award, in recognition of the high-quality support provided to nurses who are recruited into the Trust from abroad.
CNTW is a leading provider of specialist mental health, learning disability and neurological services across the North of England.
We hope that this award provides future applicants with the peace of mind and reassurance that they will be well-supported when taking the ‘leap of faith’ in relocating from their home country to work with CNTW.
Jan ThorntonSenior Professional for International Recruitment and Relocation Support
Jan Thornton, Senior Professional for International Recruitment and Relocation Support at CNTW, said: “I am delighted and so proud that the Trust has been recognised with this award. Our International Recruitment team works extraordinarily hard to support colleagues joining us from around the world, during both the recruitment process, their transition to the UK, and starting employment with us.
“We hope that this award provides future applicants with the peace of mind and reassurance that they will be well-supported when taking the ‘leap of faith’ in relocating from their home country to work with CNTW.
“We have great appreciation for the dedication, talent and diversity our international colleagues bring to the Trust.”
Jan explained how the team supports new staff joining the Trust from overseas: “We engage with prospective staff before their first job interview, and we remain alongside them throughout every step of their journey to join CNTW.
“Once someone is offered a position working for the Trust, we offer bespoke support to help them (and their family, if applicable) relocate. All our new international recruits are met with a warm welcome, and ongoing support to make this new chapter in their life a success.
“This includes helping them to find and furnish properties, so that our new nurses can literally unpack their cases and begin settling in from day one.”
From orientation to the places, finding the best accommodation, finding the best school for my kid, getting a bank account, the list goes on and on…I never felt that I was alone. This is the best team I have ever come across.
SujeetRegistered Mental Health Nurse
Praveena, who now works as a Registered Mental Health Nurse at the Trust, said: “Relocating to the UK was a stressful thought, as it is for anyone coming to a new country. But we never felt so, as we always had someone to support us in every move towards our journey. CNTW supported us in everything we would have asked for and more.”
Before joining the Trust, potential international recruits are provided with lots of information to prepare them for the move, and are paired up with a ‘buddy’ when they arrive. Jan adds, “We help take care of all those practical things which can be quite overwhelming when you are moving to a new country, such as opening bank accounts and registering with a GP.”
Sujeet, another Registered Mental Health Nurse at CNTW, agreed: “I came from India and this was my first job working abroad. I was new to the entire process and very much nervous in the beginning, but all my worries vanished, as [the team] put me at ease and helped me in every stage of my recruitment and relocation process.
“Starting from orientation to the places, finding the best accommodation, finding the best school for my kid, getting a bank account, the list goes on and on. So, I never felt that I was alone. This is the best team I have ever come across; very professional, kind and lovely people.”
After arriving, new staff are also supported to prepare to take the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), a practical exam which nurses and midwifes trained outside the European Union must pass before practicing in the UK.
CNTW also provides bespoke relocation support for staff joining the Trust from other areas of the UK.
The NHS Pastoral Care Quality Award is part of NHS England and NHS Improvement’s International Recruitment Programme. To achieve the award, the Trust had to meet a set of standards for best practice in pastoral care, and will be reassessed every two years.