Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will welcome 42 trained nurses from Nepal as part of a pilot initiative between the Government of Nepal and the Government of the United Kingdom.
The bilateral workforce agreement between the two nations, based on the managed and ethical recruitment of Nepalese healthcare workers to the UK, has seen 12 healthcare professionals from Nepal join the Hampshire Hospitals nursing team this February, with the remaining intake then joining in April and this summer. The pilot ensures a safe and well-paid position for all 42 nurses whilst ensuring recruitment to an NHS role fundamental to delivering safe patient care.
As the first health worker recruitment bilateral agreement signed with a country on the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards Red List 2020, the agreement is focused on bringing nurses to the UK in a fair, managed, legal and ethical manner, in order to not only work in the NHS, but also improve their skills, as well as making nursing a more attractive profession in Nepal.
Hampshire Hospitals has been selected as the sole NHS Trust to participate in the pilot due to its history of exceptional practice in international recruitment as well as existing Nepalese communities in the region. All nurses recruited as part of the initiative took part in face-to-face interviews by members of senior nursing staff from the Trust, following a Trust visit to Kathmandu in December 2023.
Julie Dawes, chief nurse at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are really pleased to be welcoming each of the 42 nurses who will be joining us at Hampshire Hospitals as part of this exciting agreement between the UK and Nepal.
“We are incredibly proud of the many international colleagues that form part of Team HHFT and this programme is an opportunity to learn from each other and further add to our diverse nursing workforce, all of who are crucial to helping us deliver outstanding care for our patients.”
Following the pilot, further Government to Government discussions will be held to discuss the impact of the recruitment, next steps and whether further recruitment can take place in the future.
