International midwife helping pave the path for overseas staff

Swansea Bay’s first internationally educated midwife is now playing a pivotal role supporting other midwives arriving here from overseas to prepare for work.

Abigail Peprah became the health board’s first midwife to be recruited from overseas when she joined in 2023.

Abigail, from Ghana, passed the required Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) - a practical exam which tests clinical and communication skills – before officially starting her new role in Swansea Bay.

She is now on a secondment role, which is seeing her train fellow internationally educated midwives who are set to sit their OSCE.

The most recent cohort saw her train a group of five overseas midwifes – two of which are employed by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board in a collaboration between the organisations.

Her contribution is highlighted during Overseas NHS Workers Day (March 7), which recognises the incredible contributions and value that international workers bring to the NHS.

Abigail said: “Moving to Swansea was a huge thing for me – it’s a long way from home and it’s a different way of living compared to Ghana.

“But the chance to work in a different country and health board where the technology is more advanced was an opportunity I was really keen to take up, and I’m glad I did because I’ve loved every aspect of it.

PICTURED: Abigail with fellow nurse education trainers and the current cohort of internationally educated midwives training in Swansea Bay.

“My training went well and I’ve settled into my job and community really well. The level of care here is the same to what it is in Ghana, but the big difference is the quality of technology that is in place here.”

Abigail’s training was overseen by practice development nurses Titilope Babatunde, Emelda Lunga and Julie Barnes, who developed a training programme for internationally educated midwives at the health board’s dedicated training centre in its Baglan HQ.

They worked alongside Ellie Brown, practice education facilitator for midwifery education, to help develop the training and deliver it, along with Abigail, to midwives who have joined the health board from abroad.

Abigail added: “This new role is a good opportunity for me to help staff who are in the same position as I was two years ago and prepare them for their exams.

“It can be nerve-wracking moving to a new country where you don’t know anyone, and your working environment is not the same either.

“I can reassure the new midwives that I’ve been through the whole process and that Swansea Bay is a lovely place to live too. Being so close to the beaches is really nice and I’m getting used to the weather!”

Lynne Jones, Swansea Bay’s Head of Nursing Education and Recruitment, said: “Abigail has proved a real asset to the health board in the two years she has been here, and is perfectly placed to help train our incoming internationally educated midwives.

“The new role helps us make the most of Abigail’s knowledge and experience of moving from overseas into a new country to work and live. She has also gone through the training so she understands the emotions that staff may face ahead of sitting exams.

“It’s a fine example of our services working together and sharing their wisdom and knowledge.

“As part of an agreement we made with Cardiff and Vale, Abigail and the team have also helped train two midwives who have now begun employment there.

“It’s a similar arrangement to one we previously had with Velindre University NHS Trust, in which we trained 14 internationally educated nurses through their exams. It’s another reminder of the excellent work put in by our health board and nurse education team. It also shows how well we are regarded by our colleagues in Welsh health care.”