Since 2020, the Trust has recruited around 50 individuals from overseas, supporting them to gain official accreditations as well as settle within the country. All of them are fully trained and registered within their country of origin, and have been appointed to take up roles across a variety of specialities including renal medicine, diabetes and endocrinology and general nursing.
In total, 10 cohorts of nurses have helped to bolster the ranks at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, Bassetlaw Hospital and Montagu Hospital. In order to fully practice without supervision, each recruit has had had to complete the OSCE. This is an practical accreditation overseen by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) which enables international candidates to gain practice clinically within the UK.
The graduation ceremony was organised as an alternative to similar events organised by universities when students graduate from their respective studies. Acknowledging the hard work, dedication and commitment of the newly appointed staff, particularly as they have contended with the additional challenges of settling into a new country and working environment and all in the midst of a pandemic.
Taking place in Doncaster Royal Infirmary’s Lecture Theatre in mid-February, each of the successful nurses was presented with a certificate detailing their accreditation, with the Trust’s Chief Nurse, David Purdue, and Non-Executive Directors, Pat Drake and Mark Bailey, also in attendance and on hand to share their thanks and congratulations.
Of the 50 or so recruits, 38 successful passed the OSCE and will now join the full-time establishment of the relevant wards and services as Registered Nurses. A further 12 will take their exam shortly and are currently being supported by colleagues at the Trust.
David Purdue, Chief Nurse at the Trust, said: “On behalf of everyone at the Trust I want to congratulate everyone who passed the OSCE, and also to those who I am sure will pass in the not too distant future. We are so grateful that these individuals have chosen Doncaster and Worksop as a towns to come to and develop their careers and in many cases they have already proven themselves invaluable in supporting us to deliver the best possible care for our patients.
“From the very bottom of my heart I hope that you have a long, fruitful and happy career with Team DBTH.”
With over 6,600 members of staff, of which around 2,000 are nurses, midwives and allied health professionals, long-term recruitment is a focus for the Trust. Overseas recruitment is one of the Trust’s approaches to providing a stable workforce to ensure quality services and care for its patients. Recruiting and retaining substantive employees also reduces the amount the Trust spends on agency cover. The money saved can be reinvested into patient care and facilities.
The Recruitment Team at the Trust are currently supporting employment of an additional 50 newly qualified nurses within the next few months with further information here: https://www.dbth.nhs.uk/news/newly-qualified-nurse-posts-dbth/, whilst further efforts are currently ongoing to place more overseas candidates into roles within paediatric nursing and midwifery at Doncaster Royal Infirmary and Bassetlaw.