The James Paget University Hospital has been awarded the prestigious NHS Pastoral Care Quality Award for the support provided to our internationally recruited nurses.
Launched in March 2022, the NHS Pastoral Care Quality Award scheme aims to standardise the quality and delivery of care for internationally educated nurses and midwives across England. The award is an opportunity to recognise NHS Trusts’ work in international recruitment and to demonstrate their commitment to staff wellbeing both to potential and existing employees.
To achieve the award, organisations must meet a set of standards for best practice pastoral care and, by achieving the award, trusts demonstrate a commitment to supporting internationally educated nurses and midwives at every stage of their recruitment and beyond.
The award marks the success of our team in supporting new nurses joining us from abroad, with the award panel particularly impressed with the welcome pack and the pastoral support provided to our internationally recruited nurses.
Vipin Vijayan, the Practice Development Nurse who works with our International Nurses when they arrive in the UK, said; “We aim to create a welcoming environment for nurses who have trained overseas and work with partners across Norfolk & Waveney to design training programmes and support packages to help nurses quickly settle into life in the county and to pass their objective structured clinical examination and gain Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) registration.
“As well as supporting them to pass this exam to register in the UK, we also aim to introduce them to social and cultural aspects of life in Norfolk and Waveney, as well as being on hand to support with practicalities of living here.
“This award has been achieved thanks to the support of colleagues across the hospital, as the entire Paget team has a role in offering pastoral support to internationally recruited nurses.”
The James Paget has individuals from more than 60 different nations working in our Trust, with nurses from overseas being an important part of our team.