NHS Forth Valley: Award for support and kindness shown to overseas staff

NHS Scotland has presented the new Pastoral Care Quality Award (PCQA) to acknowledge the exceptional work of local staff within NHS Forth Valley in ensuring the safe arrival, induction and provision of support and pastoral care for healthcare staff joining from abroad.

Achieving the award recognises NHS Forth Valley’s commitment to supporting internationally educated staff with high quality pastoral care at every stage of their recruitment journey and beyond.

Lisa Fairweather, international recruitment lead and Sarah Grant, nurse educator, are part of a dedicated team at NHS Forth Valley who provide a wide range of professional and personal support to healthcare staff recruited through NHS Scotland’s international recruitment programme.

This includes tailored training and development, support to find accommodation as well as a wide range of practical and professional support to help staff adjust to living and working in Forth Valley.

Lisa said: “We are delighted that NHS Forth Valley has been recognised for the high standard of support that we offer healthcare staff who have joined us through NHS Scotland’s International Recruitment programme.

“Moving to a new country to work is a huge change and it is therefore important that we provide the necessary advice and support to help make the transition as easy as possible. We also listen closely to our international recruits to continuously improve the support we provide, and this award demonstrates our ongoing commitment to creating the best possible experience for new and existing international recruits.”

To-date NHS Forth Valley has recruited 57 healthcare staff from overseas through the NHS Scotland international recruitment programme – 52 nurses, two midwives and three physiotherapists from countries including India, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Finland and the USA. There are also plans to recruit additional staff over the next year.