Celebrating the success and value of our Overseas Nurses Adaptation Programme
In order to provide sustainable healthcare for the future, and the robust workforce necessary to deliver our services, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (UHB) recruits nurses who have trained overseas through both UK based and international recruitment.
Our Overseas Nurses Adaptation Programme (ONAP) was established in 2019 to support overseas nurses through registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and join our Health Board as registered nurses. Since it was formed, the programme has supported 119 overseas nurses to join us.
The ONAP was initially set up to recruit UK-based overseas nurses but since 2019 this has expanded to incorporate the Health Board’s international nurse recruitment strategy. Of those who have joined us through the programme so far, 24 people were already UK-based and 95 have been recruited from overseas, from countries including India, Africa and the Philippines.
The programme prepares candidates to pass the NMC ‘Test of Competence’ (OSCE) and has a 100 percent pass rate, with 87 percent of candidates passing first time which is a fantastic achievement.
Julie Cassley, Deputy Director of Workforce and Organisational Development, said: “The candidates have all worked extremely hard to achieve their registration and have shown an exemplary level of commitment to their studies and to working with us. During the first wave of the pandemic we were delighted that 10 of our programme participants joined the Emergency NMC register and worked at Band 5 level to provide additional support to the Health Board.
“Running the Overseas Nurses Programme during a global pandemic has come with many challenges. I would like to take this opportunity to thank colleagues across the organisation for their support in maintaining the programme under difficult circumstances and ensuring we continue to recruit enthusiastic nurses.”
Carys Fox, Director of Nursing Strategic Nursing Workforce added: “This is an excellent example of collaboration across the organisation. As the Health Board has now supported a move onto Glan Ely Ward in St Davids to prepare the nurses for their OSCE exam, we have been able to double each cohort size to 20 nurses. Alongside our excellent and committed existing nurses, our overseas nurses will play a big part in the Health Board’s recovery plans.”
The ONAP has been a great success for Cardiff and Vale UHB, involving close collaboration between Nurse Resourcing, Learning Education and Development, and Workforce and Organisational Development teams.
We look forward to welcoming our thirteenth cohort of ONAP nurses this month. The Health Board expects a further 136 nurses to complete the programme by the end of the year.