Latest new nursing recruits arrive in Sunderland and South Tyneside from the Philippines as NHS prepares for winter

Nurses from The Philippines have arrived in South Tyneside and Sunderland as the NHS gears up for the busy winter period.
Three of South Tyneside and City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trusts newest recruits from The Philippines, Carrie Bernasor, Erlinger Navos and Janice Tingson, seated centre, with some of the Trusts other overseas recruitsThree of South Tyneside and City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trusts newest recruits from The Philippines, Carrie Bernasor, Erlinger Navos and Janice Tingson, seated centre, with some of the Trusts other overseas recruits
Three of South Tyneside and City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trusts newest recruits from The Philippines, Carrie Bernasor, Erlinger Navos and Janice Tingson, seated centre, with some of the Trusts other overseas recruits

City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust began recruiting in The Philippines in 2001 and has renewed its efforts since 2016, resulting in nearly 300 highly-qualified nurses from the country now working and living locally.

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About 100 job offers were made on the first joint trip in February 2018 and the most recent visit in October 2018 resulted in around 70 more offers being made

In addition to the latest group of ten who have arrived in time for Christmas, more of those with confirmed job offers are expected to arrive in the coming months.

They will be working in a variety of areas across both organisations, with those at South Tyneside working in theatres, the Surgical Centre and the Emergency Admissions Unit, and those working at Sunderland predominantly on medical wards.

One of the new recruits, Carrie Bernasor, said: "I am looking forward to learning and adapting to a new culture and aligning our practices to the UK way of nursing, whilst maintaining excellence in delivering patient care."

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Melanie Johnson, Executive Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals for South Tyneside and City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trusts, said: “We are always looking for nurses and midwives of the highest calibre and I’d like to extend a warm welcome to our new recruits who will, I’m sure, be a great asset to us.

"They are joining a fantastic workforce who do an amazing job providing compassionate care of the highest quality every single day and who are always looking at innovative ways of improving patient care and experience.

"We are committed to investing in more nursing and midwifery posts to enable us to continue delivering safe patient care of the highest quality. Whilst we are very passionate about nurturing our workforce here in the North East - hence our regular, local nursing recruitment events - our overseas recruitment drives also play a vital part.

"Our aim is always the same: to recruit the very best so we have the right person with the right skills in the right place at the right time.”

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Controversial plans to to shake-up hospital services in South Tyneside will be considered by a High court judge in Leeds today.

They oppose plans under the trusts' Path to Excellence scheme moving to move accident and emergency, stroke and maternity services to Sunderland.