International workforce keeps NHS going
The importance of overseas nurses is reflected in London North West University Healthcare’s NHS hospitals, which now employ staff from more than 40 countries.
Nurses from as far afield as Zimbabwe and Nepal make up the 8,200 strong work-force.
The nuances of Oworo or Maithili may be lost on the average Londoner but many nurses are fluent in several languages.
They include newcomers like Shiny Rodrigues who swapped one big city for another when she moved from Mumbai to London earlier this year to pursue her nursing career.
“Nurses get a lot more respect here and I always wanted to come to the UK,” said the 27 year-old ICU nurse who has fought Covid-19 on two continents.
The majority of newcomers would explore the city but Shiny spent ten days in quarantine after stepping off the plane.
The Mumbian, who works in an ICU step-down unit, added: “It was a tough start to my life in the UK but everyone has been friendly and I’ve settled in now.”
Chris Bown, LNWH Chief Executive, said: “The contribution of overseas nurses to the NHS is huge and they deserve our respect and admiration for often travelling thousands of miles from their families to come and work here.”