Nurses from around the world have spoken passionately about their experiences of working at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) as part of the International Nurses Day 2021 celebrations.
International Nurses Day is marked every year on May 12 - the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth.
During the COVID-19 pandemic international nurses at UHMBT have played an invaluable role in caring for patients across North Lancashire and South Cumbria.
UHMBT’s vacancy rate for Registered Nurses is currently 3.2% - the lowest it has been for many years. A combination of the recruitment of international nurses, recruitment of nurses in the UK and encouraging student nurses to join UHMBT on completion of their studies, has made this possible. A total of 112 international nurses have been welcomed to the Trust since April 2020.
Thousands of miles from their loved ones, nurses from countries including the Philippines, Africa and India have worked tirelessly and have shown huge compassion to patients.
One of these amazing and highly skilled nurses is Lemuel Saberon from the Philippines who first came to UHMBT to work in 2018. Known as “L” to his colleagues and friends, he first worked on the Respiratory Ward at Furness General Hospital (FGH) in Barrow and more recently he has started working on Ward 23; a rehabilitation ward at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI).
L, who is 30 years old and is from a city called Baguio in a mountainous region of the Philippines, said: “I came to the UK with my girlfriend who is also a nurse. The Trust held a recruitment campaign in the Philippines and we both decided to take the opportunity to work in England. Everyone at UHMBT was very helpful when we first started. We had great training to help us pass our exams and start working on the wards. We really appreciated it.
“I absolutely loved working at the hospital in Barrow. The countryside was very green and quiet – lots of fresh air. It suited me well. After a couple of years I moved to Lancaster to be with my girlfriend who was working at the hospital in Lancaster. It broke my heart to leave Barrow but when I moved to Lancaster I was promoted to the role of Clinical Lead so it was actually a good opportunity for me. We are both very happy and settled in Lancaster now. I love it here. British people are very polite – they always smile and say hello.”
When L was a teenager his parents moved to America and he chose to stay in the Philippines to finish his schooling and study Nursing. He worked as a nurse in the Philippines for five years before moving to the UK.
He said: “In the Philippines people have to pay for their healthcare so it is very different in England. I love working with the elderly patients on our ward. They are medically fit for discharge so our role is to rehabilitate them and to make sure they have everything they need to go home.
“During the pandemic we cared for patients with COVID-19. The hardest part was when patients died. You never get used to it. One of the most special moments was when we were able to reunite a husband with his wife. Both were patients and the man’s wife was dying. It was really emotional. It gives me tears in my eyes just thinking of it. They were holding hands and the man spoke about how they met and told their life story. That day I felt I’d done a good job. Later on he wrote a letter thanking us.”
L said he is now considering moving into End of Life Care as he can see how important and rewarding it is.
He added: “I would like to continue working with elderly people to give them what they need so that they have their dignity and feel they are appreciated. They often apologise for being “a nuisance” but they should not feel like that. They have played their part in society and they are special. I love the NHS because it’s not just about going to hospital to get treated – it’s about the whole person.”
Rachel Onyinyechi Kamalu, a 40-year-old nurse from Lagos in Nigeria, has moved to Kendal to work in the Theatres Department at Westmorland General Hospital (WGH).
Rachel worked as a nurse in Lagos for 15 years before taking up her post at WGH in January 2021. Her husband and her two young children are joining her soon in Kendal.
Rachel said: “Lagos is the commercial capital of Nigeria so it is a very busy city. Coming over to UK was, for me, a change of environment and to advance my nursing career in a more developed society.
“Kendal is a nice quiet town with friendly and easy going people with lots of beautiful lakes and mountain views. I’m happy working in Morecambe Bay.
“At the moment I’m learning lots of new things on the job and my new colleagues are very supportive and willing to respond to questions when asked. It’s a great working environment under the guidance of a wonderful manager.
“For me, being a nurse is my way of doing my best for people. I have always been compassionate, kind and empathetic, but nursing has taught and groomed me to be these and much more. Since patients come in ill and get better by the day, just by the efforts you put in as an individual or as part of a team, it is satisfying and motivating.
“The nursing profession is a noble one. From the time of Florence Nightingale who was the founder of nursing up until now, it hasn't changed. Nursing is the same all over the world. Service to humanity always come first.”
Peter Tongco, 29, from the island of Bohol in the Philippines, worked as a Nurse and in other professions before joining the Trust in Lancaster in November 2020. Peter now works on Ward 34 – The Huggett Suite – at the RLI with patients who have had a stroke and are in need of specialist care and therapy.
Peter said: “It has been a big culture change for me and I am still adjusting to working in the UK.
“I like working on the Huggett Suite. Family members of patients have been able to visit recently and I have met some very lovely people. They are very kind and respectful. I like it when patients talk about their lives. In the Philippines you can be disrespected as a nurse. It has been heart-warming for me to be treated professionally and kindly.”
Peter’s love of nursing blossomed when he was on clinical placements and he never looked back.
He said: “Just knowing you are able to help people who are sick is a good feeling. When you see a poorly patient and after you have cared for them you see them smiling, talking, eating and walking, is an amazing experience for me. Being able to help people is a wonderful reward for my hard work. It puts a smile on my face.
“Having compassion for people is an incredibly important part of being a nurse. I’m thankful to be a nurse and to have such amazing experiences. I also enjoy working with all of the health professionals in the hospitals including occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, doctors and a myriad of different nurses to help people get well.
“If you are someone who is compassionate and very interested in learning and open to a lot of changes, then nursing could be for you. I would say – go for it! I’m happy to be in Lancaster. It feels like home now.”
Peter is now one of the Trust’s members for the retention of international staff.
Chariz Derezas, 31, who grew up in the small town of Miagao and later moved to the City of Iloilo in the Philippines, came to work at UHMBT in October 2019.
Chariz was a Senior Admission Officer in the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in the Philippines and now works in the Acute Frailty Unit (AFU) at the RLI.
Chariz said: “When I came to the UK, it was the first time I’d worked in a foreign country. It was very challenging and scary to be so far away from home but, for me, coming to UK is by far my greatest achievement in life at the moment. I was able to conquer my fears and open myself to the bigger world.
“All the staff from UHMBT are very accommodating and welcoming. There has never been a time when I have felt neglected or felt any discrimination. They treat me as a part of the UHMBT family and I have never regretted working here.”
Chariz said the best thing about being a nurse is having a passion for nursing: “Being able to witness the first sight of a person being born up to the time of their last breath, and being able to care for them, is a fulfilling job.
“It’s not just a career, it’s not just about the salary; it’s about how we touch people's lives in so many ways. They may never remember my name, but they will definitely not forget the way I made them feel while I was taking care of them. That’s all that matters.
“Over the next few years I would love to grow personally as a nurse. I would like to pursue greater knowledge on how I can be a more efficient and effective nurse towards my patients and keep the passion for nursing burning. I would love to have continuous education and development that I could use to help and understand each patient's individual needs.”
Sheljamol Rajan, 29, from Kerala in southern India has been working at UHMBT since October 2019. When Sheljamol left India, it was the first time she had left her family or travelled abroad. Initially, Sheljamol worked on the Acute Medical Unit at the RLI and she is now working on Ward 23 in Medical Unit 2 at the RLI.
Sheljamol said: “Travelling from abroad was extremely exciting. I came over with some other nurses from India and we are still friends. I come from a small village and I like Lancaster because it is quiet.
“Ward 23 is a rehab ward and 90 per cent of the patients are older people. I love working with older people – it reminds me of my own grandfather. We were working with patients with COVID-19 but thankfully we haven’t had any cases reported for a while. It was a hard time and we were all scared. It’s a big relief to have no new cases on our ward. It was nice to have the appreciation of the public.
“In the NHS the quality of care is 100 per cent. There is good team work and the doctors and nurses are brilliant. It’s good that the service is free and that patients are given their full dignity. I love looking after people in their older years.”
Novem Abellana from the city of Cebu in the Philippines came to Lancaster in February 2019 and works on Ward 23 at the RLI.
Novem said: “I was nursing in the Philippines for six years before I came to Lancaster. It was hard leaving my parents but by working in the UK I can earn money to support them. They are both retired and their pension isn’t really enough to live on.
“I like living in Lancaster. If I’m stressed I can go to Williamson Park, have a nice walk along the canal, go to the city centre or go to the seaside in Morecambe.
“Before I came here my work experience was in ICU but now I have fallen in love with ward work. Our patients are very nice and they say thank you when you are taking care of them. I enjoy giving holistic care.
“Their smiles make me feel that I have done a good job. I also enjoy working with my new colleagues. It’s a nice team and we have a good manager.”
Denise Tampus, 45, from Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines has been working for UHMBT for the last 19 years. Denise has spent most of that time working on Ward 22 at the RLI.
Denise said: “I was one of the first Philippino nurses to join the Trust in February 2002. At first it was quite hard for me because I had never been away from home – not even to a different city.
“I was homesick at first and the culture was very different. Ward 22 was meant to be experience for me but I fitted in and I stayed. I’ve been on Ward 22 for 18 years now. It’s a rehab ward and most of the patients tend to be over 60 years old.
“I do enjoy the work. I came to this profession because I wanted to care for people. You get to know the patients well which is nice. I would recommend nursing as a career. You have got to be kind and hard working.
“The main reason I’ve stayed so long on this ward is due to the staff and the lovely Ward Manager. They are my second family. I’m settled here – I have a partner and it’s my home.”
Jona Luz Credo, 31, from Sorsogon City, the southernmost tip of the Island of Luzon in the Philippines, came to work for UHMBT in December 2019 and works on Ward 22 at the RLI.
“When I came to England it was my first trip overseas and it was a bit scary. I have worked hard on my studies and my communication skills to be where I am and what I am today.
“Working as a nurse in the UK is very different to the Philippines because we don’t do as much personal care back home, as families get to stay with them while hospitalised.
“I like the fact that everyone in the UK has free access to medical care. I think it’s a good system. When it tell my parents about the NHS they are in awe of it.
“My colleagues at UHMBT are nice and supportive – especially on my ward. I have never dreamed of anything else beyond being a nurse. I like working with the patients on Ward 22 because they really appreciate the care I give them.
“I treat every patient as if they are my family. I always want to deliver compassionate care. I try to do my very best for them every time.”
Nicole Roldan, 32, from the Manila in the Philippines works on Ward 22 at the RLI and moved to England in 2018 with her husband Arlo, 36, who now works on Ward 35 at the RLI. In the Philippines Nicole was a Quality Assurance Nurse and Arlo was a Research Nurse.
Nicole said: “There was a lot to get used to at first but our Practice Educators helped us to settle in and get ready for our exams. Everyone was very welcoming and helpful.
“Hospital wards in the Philippines are very different. We have people called ‘watchers’ who are usually the patient’s relatives. They do a lot of the personal care of the patients.
“In the UK I like how the nurses are more independent and have more freedom to make decisions about care. In the Philippines everyone relies on doctors’ opinions. At UHMBT the staff are very hard working and the managers are supportive.
“Before COVID we had a Facebook group for nurses from the Philippines and we used to meet up. We like living in Lancaster because it is peaceful and there’s a good community. My little girl, Summer, was born here.
“In the future, I would like to get into Quality Assurance at UHMBT but for now I am happy to stay where I am.”
James Thomas, Ward Manager on Ward 23 at the RLI, said: “We have nurses from all over the world at UHMBT. It’s really nice for everyone to have such a mixture of different people and cultures. Our international colleagues are great with our patients and they are very highly skilled and knowledgeable. They are a credit to the NHS.”
Sue Smith, OBE, Executive Chief Nurse and Deputy Chief Executive of UHMBT, said: “We are hugely grateful to our international nurses for the excellent compassionate care they give to our patients.
“Our Trust is enriched by their presence and, as we are celebrating Nurses Day 2021, I would like to thank each and everyone one of them for their hard work and dedication to the nursing profession. I would also like to thank and recognise our entire nursing staff for all that they do to give the highest levels of care to our patients.”
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For further information about this media release, please email communications.team@mbht.nhs.uk