New nursing recruits from India and the Philippines

Sheffield Children’s has welcomed the arrival of the first group of nurses recruited from the region of Kerala in India who will be joining the team over the next few months.

This is part of the Trust’s ongoing commitment to recruit as many newly qualified and experienced nurses as it can to offset the local effects of the national nursing shortfall of almost 40,000 nurses.

More than 50 new nurses have already been recruited from Kerala and the Philippines to join the 980 registered paediatric and mental health nurses who already work for the Sheffield Children’s Trust, and alongside this year’s intake of newly-registered nurses qualifying from Sheffield Hallam University. The total figure could reach as many as 75.

The most recent group of 11 nurses to arrive in Sheffield recently are working across Wards 1, 4 and 6, the Emergency Department, Neonatal Surgical Unit and Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Future arrivals will join colleagues on other wards and theatres (surgery) at the Hospital site as well as across the Trust’s mental health services at our dedicated mental health facility, the Becton Centre.

Professor Sally Shearer OBE, Executive Director of Nursing and Quality and Acting Deputy Chief Executive for Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We’re very excited to have these nurses joining the Sheffield Children’s team and look forward to further colleagues arriving over the coming months.

“Our first cohort of nurses have been with us for a few weeks now and are making themselves at home in the Trust and the city.

“While the nurses are unfamiliar with the NHS, they have made an enormous difference already as they have a wealth of experience and knowledge in nursing, and great expertise in patient care. The difference they will make to children, young people, families and our colleagues across our wards and other services is immeasurable.

“I’m sure colleagues at the Trust, and the patients and families who are part of our wider community, will give our new nurses a warm welcome and help to make them feel at home, both at Sheffield Children’s and in the city.

“Due to the retirement of valued colleagues and growth in our services the Trust has more vacancies for registered nurses than we would like. We’ve been working very hard on this challenge and, with the help of funding from NHS England, are delighted to have found excellent nurses from Kerala and the Philippines who are keen to live and work in Sheffield.”

The new nurses are receiving assistance from a dedicated support team, including a pastoral lead to help them to navigate the challenges, and opportunities, of coming to live and work in a new country, and a nurse educator to guide them through the necessary education programmes to achieve Nursing and Midwifery Council registration.

Further cohorts are scheduled to arrive later this month and in the autumn.