“It’s fantastic to have them. They are going to be the future stars of this organisation – I have seen some of our future Matrons among them.”

International nurses who have taken up roles on Ward 11 of Walsall Manor Hospital are really making an impression among both their new colleagues and patients.

More than 260 nurses will be taking up roles at Walsall Manor Hospital by the end of this year thanks to a number of initiatives to support and develop staff and reduce agency reliance.

A nursing workforce plan has been developed to address Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust’s current and future staffing challenges. Its aim is to increase student nurse numbers, attract and retain experienced registered nurses, recruit international nurses and develop a strong base of Clinical Support Workers. One of the key elements of this drive has been the introduction of the Clinical Nursing Fellowship (CNF) programme which aims to recruit nurses both from the UK and internationally.

Since establishing the programme in May, the trust has welcomed an additional 67 international registered nurses, with a further 200 due to arrive from overseas before the end of the year.

Amy Reynolds, Senior Sister on Ward 11, has welcomed a number of the new nurses on to her ward and says they are really making their mark.

“It’s fantastic to have them; they are really making a difference,” she said.

“I have been so pleased to welcome them on to our ward and think some of them are going to be the future stars of this organisation. I have definitely seen some of our future Matrons among them. What really shines through is their care and compassion, it reminds us all of why we came into the nursing profession in the first place.

“They have left everything familiar to them behind to make their careers here in Walsall and we should never forget that. I have ensured my new colleagues have badges that explain they are experienced but new to this area, so please be patient and I think this is helping them to settle in, along with the fact that we are a very international, multi-cultural ward with staff from India and the Philippines and strive to provide an environment where everyone feels included.”

Nurse Oluwadunfunmi Adesanya, aged 30, has come to Walsall from Nigeria and says technology is one of the biggest differences she has noticed.

“In my country I would be caring for patients and not know if they had COVID-19 whereas here we have that information and everything is computerised,” she explained.

“It’s a big difference to be able to see all this information.”

Her colleague Ogunyipe Anuoluwapo, 31, said Ward 11 staff had been “very friendly.”

“They are very supportive and the patients have been nice and asked us lots of questions – they really want to talk to us!”