A PHENOMENALLY successful recruitment drive abroad has yielded a fresh wave of 22 Spanish nurses landing permanent jobs at Grimsby's Diana, Princess Of Wales Hospital.
The initial campaign in Spain has been so successful that Northern Lincolnshire And Goole NHS Foundation Trust aims to take on more staff from abroad by early next year – offering up another 30 vacancies.
An increasing number of trusts are now looking abroad for staff due to what they claim is a national and local shortage of nurses in the UK.
The Northern Lincolnshire And Goole NHS Foundation Trust used recruitment agency Search to interview the 22 nurses and has decided to begin a second recruitment drive with the company in Spain this month.
Karen Dunderdale, chief nurse at the Trust, said: "I am delighted to welcome our Spanish nurses. They are a great addition to our nursing team with very positive attitudes and I look forward to working with them. Recruitment locally is slow but we have vacancies constantly advertised on our website and new recruitment adverts have been sent out nationally.
"In addition to the Spanish nurses, we have also appointed a cohort of newly-qualified nurses who trained locally and we have recruited nurses from across the country who responded to our national adverts. We will continue to try to attract nurses through local and national recruitment campaigns."
Ms Dunderdale said people being admitted to hospital were more acutely ill and this required more intensive nursing support.
"I want to ensure we have the right staff in place to provide the best quality care possible for our patients," she said.
The Spanish recruits are now undergoing induction and mandatory training and will not officially begin ward shifts until November 25.
For Aldo Alia Casado, 26, coming to live and work in England is a huge leap from his familiar home comforts in Madrid.
He said: "It is very difficult to find work in Spain, especially as a nurse. I was not fazed by leaving my home as I have worked in various places over the years, including France and Africa.
Aldo said staff at the Grimsby hospital were very friendly and welcoming.
He said: "I see a lot of teams working together and I am looking forward to getting involved."
To help Aldo and his fellow nurses settle in, they have been placed together in shared accommodation within the grounds of the hospital and will remain there for a minimum of six months.
Staff have also organised various weekend trips over the past few weeks to help create bonds and allow the nurses to familiarise themselves with the area.
Nurse Kamla Motwani, 48, has not only moved herself to England but her 16-year-old daughter has relocated, too.
She said: "It has been my dream to work in the UK and when I was offered the job my daughter asked if she could come with me. It is a big thing moving to a different country but we are very happy. My daughter will be attending Grimsby Institute and is living with me in the accommodation we have been provided."
Job vacancies for Northern Lincolnshire And Goole NHS Foundation Trust can be found on www.nlg.nhs.uk.
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