There is no doubt that international recruitment has been very positive for NCIC but there have also been difficulties and adjustments along the way.
Onboarding
Internationally recruited staff face unique challenges that wouldn’t always be a consideration when relocating to a different area. As well as obvious difficulties like securing visas and official paperwork there are the social difficulties such as understanding local accents/slang words and the unspoken cultural norms like holding open a door.
As a result NCIC has a dedicated Onboarding Officer whose role is to welcome and support those international staff joining the Trust from outside and within the UK. They are able to support with things like accommodation such as helping find suitable options, booking and attending viewings and setting up a bank account.
The Trust’s onboarding programme is award winning and was awarded the NHS Pastoral Care award in 2023.
Accelerated Development Project
In 2022 NCIC was successful in bidding for an Accelerated Development Transformation Fund. This collaborative project between North Cumbria Integrated Care and Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Trusts focused on recognising the value and contributions of our Overseas Educated nurses and midwives across both organisations.
The project was 1 of 2 chosen in the region and focused on 3 main work streams; Cultural Awareness, Career Conversations and Job Application Support. Cultural awareness focuses on building staff’s confidence in intercultural communication as well as tools to challenge discrimination and microaggressions in and out of the workplace. In support of this programme, a Culture Lab representing all of our staff’s nationalities and their lived experience is available as a living library for staff to learn about one another. Career conversations are a person centred conversation allowing the individual to focus on their career and future goals with a chosen facilitator. Job application support focuses on how staff can write the best possible NHS job applications for promotion and advancement. The initiatives have been well received and delivered to nearly 2000 staff with an average recommendation rating of over 98%. Each of these initiatives are available for all staff to access with the uniting goal of increasing understanding and kindness for one another.