Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn launches support group

Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn has launched a new network to support the experience of international nurses transitioning into work at the trust.

The Supporting International Nurses Group (SING) launched yesterday and will offer a range of advice and support for nurses joining the Trust from overseas, including a welcome pack, peer support, wellbeing advice, local area information and the opportunity to take part in social events.

QEH hopes to be amongst the first group of trusts to achieve a Kitemark Award for international recruitment and pastoral care, working in line with the NHS People Plan which empowers organisations to recruit oversees.

Chelsea Kirk, equality, diversity and inclusion lead at QEH, said: “Team QEH is proud to be a diverse workforce and our overseas staff make a significant contribution to the trust. The transition into life and work in a new country can be incredibly daunting and we want to make sure that all our staff feel supported and welcome. Ensuring our staff feel supported leads to better patient care.”

In August the trust was shortlisted in the Nursing Times Workforce Awards for the Best International Recruitment Experience category. The trust has also established a dedicated pastoral post with the focus of supporting international nurses at QEH.

SING will work alongside the existing networks supporting staff at QEH including the Indian Nurses in King’s Lynn Network (INK) and Filipino Association of West Norfolk (FAWN).