‘Remarkable team’ at Solent NHS Trust honoured with Pastoral Care award

Solent NHS Trust staff with the Pastoral Care Quality Award

Solent NHS Trust have been honoured with the Pastoral Care Quality Award for its recruitment of nurses from outside the UK.

The Trust, which runs community hospitals across Portsmouth and Southampton, received the award for demonstrating its commitment to providing internationally educated nurses with high-quality pastoral care.

This included recognising the great lengths Solent goes to in order to welcome international colleagues to ensure they settle in, feel welcome and to ensure their needs are all met.

This can involve arranging flights and supporting with accommodation arrangements, to providing them with the knowledge on how to set up bank accounts, register with their local GP, or learn to drive.

Many international colleagues are also signposted to support networks, including places of worship or community centres and organisations.

Nelly Inyangekpe, a Community Nurse, moved to the UK from Nigeria in March 2022.

She praised the trust for the support she has since received.

She said: “Solent has provided me with exceptional support through the pastoral care team who really helped – arranging accommodation and helping me to settle into the area.

"Solent is really close knit; people really care about you and really do act out the Trust’s values.

“Receiving this award shows the Trust’s dedication to nurturing international nurses, and I am proud to be part of this remarkable team.”

Solent has now recruited almost 100 overseas colleagues since 2021, working across inpatient wards, community teams and podiatry.

Angela Anderson, Chief Nurse at Solent NHS Trust, said: “We are proud to have been recognised for our dedication to providing exceptional pastoral care to our international colleagues.

“We know how important recruiting international healthcare professionals is, not just for Solent, but for the entire NHS, thanks to their expertise, knowledge and skills they bring.

“The award really is the gold standard for international recruitment and highlights the enhanced offer we have here at Solent to support both recruitment and retention of nurses from abroad.

“Our international nursing family is so important to us, and it is vital that we always foster a supportive, respectful and compassionate environment for all our colleagues to work.”

The award is part of NHS England and NHS Improvement’s International Recruitment Programme.

The programme supports NHS organisations to increase and develop their international recruitment plans.