Positive progress for BSW ICB recruitment initiative in India

A new recruitment initiative to attract nurses from India to come and work in health and care roles in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire is progressing well with fifty nurses due to take up positions with ICB partner Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP) in the coming months.

The newly recruited nurses have all completed an integration course at three centres in India covering specific modules on mental health nursing in the UK.

The course is around 300 hours long, is delivered face to face and includes Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) training.

The OSCE is a competency test that is part of the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) registration process for nurses and midwives trained outside the EU/EEA.

In addition to the course, BSW ICB is also working with partners in India to establish career coaches in universities and teaching hospitals to help create long-lasting links and positive relationships to further encourage nurses and other staff groups to come to work in the NHS.

The initiative is also helping recruit staff to other areas of the country, with 40 nurses due to start work in Kent and Medway in February and recruitment and training work underway in the Midlands.

Penny Smee, Director of Resourcing and Retention at BSW ICB said:

“The number of mental health nurses in BSW and across the country as a whole is low, so this initiative will really help to boost numbers.

We are developing a sustainable pipeline for the future in terms of attracting new nurses to work in BSW and we are building crucial links with universities in India so we can encourage more nurses to come and work for BSW health and care providers in the future.”