Celebrating staff who uproot their lives to deliver care in Swansea Bay
The latest cohorts of international nurses to have moved thousands of miles to make Swansea Bay their home were given a warm Welsh welcome at a special event to celebrate their arrival.
Since January 2020, 516 overseas staff have been ethically recruited by the health board to help fill nursing vacancies - an issue felt throughout the UK.
Many have moved without their families, illustrating the many sacrifices that are made to take up a new opportunity in a new country.
Merin Mathew has done just that, having swapped Kerala for Swansea Bay while her one-and-a-half-year-old son and husband remain in India.
Like all overseas nurses, Merin attended the health board’s designated training centre before sitting an Objective Structured Clinical Examination exam in Oxford to become a registered nurse within the UK.
PICTURED: Merin Mathew (second left) was among the overseas nurses to attend the event in the health board's Baglan HQ.
She now works in the Intensive Therapy Unit in Morriston Hospital, having arrived in March.
Merin, who has over four years of experience working in India and Bahrain, said: “This is a big move personally and professionally. With my husband and son still in India, I am here on my own but I hope they will join me soon.
“The welcome I have received and the support I continue to have has really helped me settle into my new home. Moving to a new country is daunting, but the nurse education team has been so helpful in my living arrangements and ensuring I’ve got what I needed.
“At work, I’ve really settled in very quickly. The people here are so nice.
“In the UK, there are many opportunities to work in nursing, but this health board has a very good reputation and I chose here because of the opportunity to develop my skills and experience. It is also a beautiful city to live in, so it’s very attractive in terms of a personal and professional perspective.”
The nurses have moved into adult, neonatal, mental health and midwifery specialties.
Lisa Nation, Speciality Manager Scrubs with Singleton Hospital’s theatres, attended the event in the health board’s Baglan headquarters which marked the contribution made by overseas nurses. Health board Chair, Jan Williams and Gillian Knight, Welsh Government Nursing Officer also attended and spoke to staff about their experiences so far.
PICTURED: Overseas nurses recruited within the last 12 months enjoyed a chat over lunch.
Lisa said: “We have had seven members of staff from overseas join our team and they’ve been great additions.
“They came with considerable experience and skills and have strengthened the workforce already in place across our six theatres in Singleton.”
The health board’s recruitment drive has attracted staff from as far as Jamaica to Australia, while a visit to India in 2023 saw over 100 nurses uproot to Swansea Bay.
Miranda Williams, Senior Nurse for Education, said: “Our workforce reflects the community we serve, and we celebrate the diverse, multi-cultural staff we have in Swansea Bay.
“We have successfully recruited over 500 nurses with vast experience, knowledge and skills that have and continue to add to the care we give our patients.
“Our recruitment over the last four years has been very important to our services.
“These nurses complement the fantastic staff we already have in place across our services.”
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