Stay and Thrive NHS England NEY & SW

Across this series we’ve heard from internationally educated healthcare professionals about what it’s like to move to the UK to work for the NHS, as well as from experts to discuss how we can all help make that transition a little easier.

This time, we’re sitting down with 3 managers and leaders from the NHS to discuss how best we can put into practice some of the principles we’ve been hearing about. How can we create strong foundations for internationally educated colleagues to progress in their careers in the NHS? What support should be offered to individuals and teams to make sure new colleagues can feel like they belong? And how can we all collaborate to help international colleagues across all professions make their lives in the UK as successful and rewarding as possible? 

Our host, Katy McDonald, is a Fellow for International Retention in NHS England North East and Yorkshire Region, and she’s joined by 3 expert guests to chat about Stay and Thrive.


Mayflor Bernal, a Matron for Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals (AHP) International Recruitment at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
Amanda Dufley, Allied Health Professionals International Recruitment Lead for NHS England South West Region
Victoria Bagshaw, Regional Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals Workforce Lead for NHS England North East and Yorkshire Region

For more information about #StayAndThrive visit our futures page at: future.nhs.uk/NEYInternationalRetention

We’d love to keep the conversation going, so please get in touch with questions, comments, stories of your experiences or if have any suggestions about how we can make sure people Stay and Thrive. You can reach us on X, previously known as Twitter, at @stayandthrive, or you can use #stayandthrive. Or, by email at england.stayandthriveir@nhs.net

The Stay and Thrive podcast is a cross regional initiative between NHS England North East and Yorkshire region and NHS England South West region. Follow now so you don’t miss an episode.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Moving to another country can feel like starting a whole new chapter of your life. Which means that, after the initial whirlwind of finding somewhere to live and getting used to a new job, it can take time for the new environment to really start to feel like home.  

This time, we’re talking about some of the challenges that can arise when internationally educated healthcare professionals are settling into long-term life in the UK. What does it mean to feel settled when you move to another country? How can concerns about practical matters, like visa applications and finances, affect the process of settling in? And what can we all do to help make the UK feel like home?

Our host, Katy McDonald, is a Fellow for International Retention in NHS England North East and Yorkshire Region, and she’s joined by 2 expert guests to chat long-term settling in in the UK.


Mark Doblas, a Lead Clinical Practice Facilitator in Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
Suresh Packiam, Head of Service at Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust and General Secretary for the British Indian Nurses Association (BINA)

For more information about #StayAndThrive visit our futures page at: future.nhs.uk/NEYInternationalRetention

We’d love to keep the conversation going, so please get in touch with questions, comments, stories of your experiences or if have any suggestions about how we can make sure people Stay and Thrive. You can reach us on X, previously known as Twitter, at @stayandthrive, or you can use #stayandthrive. Or, by email at england.stayandthriveir@nhs.net

The Stay and Thrive podcast is a cross regional initiative between NHS England North East and Yorkshire region and NHS England South West region. Follow now so you don’t miss an episode.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The diversity of the NHS workforce is increasing, with trained healthcare professionals travelling from all over the world to support the UK. This means that it’s more vital than ever to address issues around equality and inclusion. 

This time, we’re talking about some of the challenges that internationally educated professionals can face when they join the NHS workforce. How can senior leaders create equitable organisations and teams? What are microaggressions, and why do they matter? And what can we all do to ensure an equal and inclusive work environment?

Our host, Katy McDonald, is a Fellow for International Retention in NHS England North East and Yorkshire Region, and she’s joined by 2 expert guests to chat equality, diversity, and inclusion.


Alicia Messiah, an Equality Lead Nurse at Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Chief Nursing Officer’s Black And Minority Ethnic Strategic Advisory Group fellow for the South West Region
And Brian Chiyesu, the Assistant Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust and West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts Dermatology Elective Recovery Lead

For more information about #StayAndThrive visit our futures page at: future.nhs.uk/NEYInternationalRetention

We’d love to keep the conversation going, so please get in touch with questions, comments, stories of your experiences or if have any suggestions about how we can make sure people Stay and Thrive. You can reach us on X, previously known as Twitter, at @stayandthrive, or you can use #stayandthrive. Or, by email at england.stayandthriveir@nhs.net

The Stay and Thrive podcast is a cross regional initiative between NHS England North East and Yorkshire region and NHS England South West region. Follow now so you don’t miss an episode.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the Philippines to India and India to Italy, the NHS employs staff from over 200 different nationalities. Which means that the UK is home to hundreds of thousands of healthcare professionals with a very diverse set of cultural backgrounds.

This time, we’re talking about how our culture can inform our sense of identity. Can being away from our culture make us question our personal, or professional, identities? How can cultural context affect our sense of self and belonging? And what can we all do to help each other be our authentic selves at work?

Our host, Katy McDonald, is a Fellow for International Retention in NHS England North East and Yorkshire Region, and she’s joined by 2 expert guests to chat culture and identity


Queen Okesola, a mental health nurse and practice educator at Devon Partnership NHS Trust
Sun Sander-Jackson, an inclusion lead at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, Chief Nursing Officer's Black and Ethnic Minority Strategic Advisory Group lead for the Southwest Region, and a Workforce Race Equality Standard expert

For more information about #StayAndThrive visit our futures page at: future.nhs.uk/NEYInternationalRetention

We’d love to keep the conversation going, so please get in touch with questions, comments, stories of your experiences or if have any suggestions about how we can make sure people Stay and Thrive. You can reach us on X, previously known as Twitter, at @stayandthrive, or you can use #stayandthrive. Or, by email at england.stayandthriveir@nhs.net

The Stay and Thrive podcast is a cross regional initiative between NHS England North East and Yorkshire region and NHS England South West region. Follow now so you don’t miss an episode.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Across the globe there are lots of similarities in how health professionals carry out their work… but there are some differences, too. So, what happens when internationally educated professionals come to work for the NHS?

This time, we’re exploring the differences in professional practice between countries. What differences can there be in how instructions are given, or received? What about expectations of how teams work together? And how can we work towards better understanding of each other’s familiar ways of working?

Our host, Katy McDonald, is a Fellow for International Retention in NHS England North East and Yorkshire Region, and she’s joined by 3 expert guests to chat differences in professional practice.


Jenneth Orias, a midwife working in Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Philip Johnson, a musculoskeletal physiotherapist at Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust
Rachel Rajadurai, an internal medicine trainee Doctor in Birmingham, and international medical graduate lead at the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management training steering group.

For more information about #StayAndThrive visit our futures page at: future.nhs.uk/NEYInternationalRetention

We’d love to keep the conversation going, so please get in touch with questions, comments, stories of your experiences or if have any suggestions about how we can make sure people Stay and Thrive. You can reach us on X, previously known as Twitter, at @stayandthrive, or you can use #stayandthrive. Or, by email at england.stayandthriveir@nhs.net

The Stay and Thrive podcast is a cross regional initiative between NHS England North East and Yorkshire region and NHS England South West region. Follow now so you don’t miss an episode.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When living in your home country it can be easy to take the local phrases and colloquialisms for granted. But when you’ve moved far away from home, it can take time to get to grips with it all.

This time, we’re talking about some of the communication challenges that international recruits can face when they arrive in the UK. How do we make sure we’re really understanding the people around us, and being understood ourselves? What about non-verbal or written communication? And how do we make sure we’re not interpreting another person’s use of language in the wrong way?

Our host, Katy McDonald, is a Fellow for International Retention in NHS England North East and Yorkshire Region, and she’s joined by 2 expert guests to chat communicating across cultures.


May Parsons, an Associate Chief Nurse and Director for Risk, Compliance and Governance in Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
Ife Ajibayo, a Senior Project Nurse focused Professional development based in Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

For more information about #StayAndThrive visit our futures page at: future.nhs.uk/NEYInternationalRetention

We’d love to keep the conversation going, so please get in touch with questions, comments, stories of your experiences or if have any suggestions about how we can make sure people Stay and Thrive. You can reach us on X, previously known as Twitter, at @stayandthrive, or you can use #stayandthrive. Or, by email at england.stayandthriveir@nhs.net

The Stay and Thrive podcast is a cross regional initiative between NHS England North East and Yorkshire region and NHS England South West region. Follow now so you don’t miss an episode.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.