Eastern promise
 Six radiotherapy recruits from India and two from Hong Kong attended a series of one-day workshops recently, to improve their communication skills and to help them assimilate into UK culture, as part of the South West London Strategic Health Authority’s recruitment, retention and return project.
All of the recruits successfully completed the course and their efforts were recognised at an evaluation and award ceremony held at the Society of Radiographers’ headquarters in London.
Four NHS hospitals in the south east of England participated in the scheme and a feedback survey showed that participants were overwhelmingly positive about the course.
Mahipal Singh, who worked as a radiographer in India for 16 years before moving to the NHS in 2004 said: "The course has made a huge difference to me. When I first arrived in the UK I was nervous and reluctant to come out of my shell. The workshops have given me more confidence in speaking to my UK colleagues."
Although many of the recruits had a high standard of English on arrival in the UK, the programme was designed to help them understand confusing slang phrases. Recruits were also assigned a properly trained mentor in their department who they could approach with any problems. Voluntary training sessions prepared English staff in departments employing the recruits.
Although there are no immediate plans to continue the programme, the organisers hope to finalise and circulate evaluation reports and recommendations to trusts, and the international recruitment policy board at the Department of Health. Ethna Glean, from SWLSHA said: "This programme has proved very successful in assimilating international recruits to UK culture."
Back | Top
|
