More international nurses set to join the UHNM team

Patient care and experience at University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) is set to further benefit from the recruitment of over 100 additional overseas nurses in 2023. 

The nurses will be supporting a wide range of wards and departments at both Royal Stoke University Hospital and County Hospital in Stafford thanks to additional funding from NHS England.

The new cohort of 110 nurses will take the total amount of overseas recruits at UHNM to over 300 since the international nurse recruitment programme was launched in 2021.

Stella Underwood, International Nurse Lead at the Trust, said: “We are delighted that we have received the funding to employ a further 110 internationally educated nurses to UHNM over the course of this year. The nurses we have already employed have proven to be a huge asset to the organisation and have enriched our workforce. A diverse workforce benefits our organisation and our patients.  We are very proud that so many overseas nurses want to join UHNM.”

Following allocation, the new recruits will have a four-week induction period with the senior nursing team where they will be supported with opening a bank account, registering with a GP practice and also given pastoral support to ensure an easy transition to living in the UK and working at UHNM.

Arjun Pradeepan, originally from India, joined the Trust in 2021 as a Staff Nurse in the Specialised Decision Unit (SDU).

He said: “I decided to take the opportunity and apply for a role at UHNM to further my career and increase my skills. I was recruited to UHNM by the Trained Nurses Association of India (TNAI), which is a professional organisation of nurses in India.

“Working here has helped me to make the career decisions that I'll be taking going forward for the future because of the support I have received from my colleagues has been. I am looking forward to doing more exceptional work together.

“It’s truly an honour to be able to work with such amazing people at UHNM. If any international nurses are thinking of joining UHNM I would say do it, you won’t regret it.”

Hashim Asad, Staff Nurse on the Acute Medical Unit (AMU) joined the trust in August 2022 from India.  

He said: “I feel very lucky to be part of UHNM. From the day of the interview to now, Stella has helped a lot for us. Being an overseas nurse is a different environment to back home, but Stella resolved all the things concerning us and her care and guidance reassured us.

“We have been provided with a lot of support and assistance for the preparation of the NMC Competency test. We got a 100% success rate because of our colleagues’ hard work and dedication.

“I constantly suggest UHNM to my friends from India who have recently registered on the NMC register and having the required eligibility for joining the Trust. It is a great opportunity for anyone overseas who want to develop their career.”