Activate Learning launches new programme to help NHS recruit nurses from overseas

The recent Covid-19 pandemic has shone a light on the amazing work of our healthcare professionals here in the UK, but it has also emphasised the lack of trained staff that are so vital in keeping it going.

As it stands within England, there are currently 40,000 nursing and midwifery vacancies across the NHS, with insufficient numbers of new nurses coming through universities to meet the demand.

Overseas workers coming into the NHS currently account for 6% of all nurses working in the NHS and play a vital role in supporting the healthcare sector in the UK.

Which is why Activate Learning has been working with its partners within the NHS to develop an exciting new International Nursing Bridging Programme (INBP) to streamline the process for the NHS trusts we work with.

The INBP is an innovative new course designed to up-skill qualified nurses based overseas with the competencies they will need to work in the UK and ensure they have occupational English language required to function in a busy NHS trust.

In addition to this, we’ve worked with our partners within the NHS to develop extra modular components to the programme that will provide real world knowledge and expertise based on our partners day-to-day operational experiences.

Speaking about the launch of the new programme, Niko Phillips, Group Director - International at Activate Learning, said the new programme would bring “ready to go” staff into the NHS far quicker than before and at much less cost to the NHS.

He added: “Previously, qualified nurses have had to come from overseas to the UK and the NHS has had to spend time and money making that person ready to transition from an unregistered to a registered nurse in the UK.

“For those people taking this course, they will feel much more ready to take up work here in the UK once they complete this course and it will help to create a new flow of much needed talent into our vital NHS services.”

The project is being delivered in conjunction with a handful of NHS trusts that Activate Learning has worked with over the past several years to develop the quality of our teaching and learning across our health and social care programmes.

Niko Philips added: “This is a fantastic, exciting opportunity for everyone involved in the programme and although we are only working with a handful of trusts right now, our ambition is to scale this up over the next five years and roll it out across the UK.

“We want to become one of the main pipelines for providing talent to the NHS from overseas and ensuring that we have the right people, with the right skills to support such a vitally important service.”

Find out more about our International Nursing Bridge Programme at Activate Learning International or contact us on 0800 488 0378.

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