EPUT welcomes new staff from Nigeria

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) has welcomed its first cohort of Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) recruited from Nigeria.

The two physiotherapists, who flew to the UK to join the West Essex Urgent Community Response Team last month, have joined EPUT as part of the Trust’s International recruitment drive.

AHPs are the third largest workforce in the NHS and play a key role in providing system-wide care to improve health and wellbeing.

Mobolaji Lewis, Head of Physiotherapy (Mental Health) & AHP Workforce Transformation Lead for International Recruitment, said: “We are very excited to welcome our two new physiotherapists to EPUT as part of our international recruitment programme.

“A robust workforce helps us meet the needs of our communities and provide the best possible care. The international recruitment of AHPs will help mitigate vacancies in our workforce, resulting in better patient experience and more support for our current colleagues.

“I would like to thank everyone involved in the recruitment process and hope it is the first of more to come in the future.”

Both of the new colleagues are receiving professional support to help them settle into their new roles and pastoral support with a focus on wellbeing to assist with practical activities like opening a bank account as they settle into the UK.

Last month EPUT also offered roles to more than 60 nurses from Botswana after the Trust’s recruitment team spent eight days interviewing hundreds of nurses interested in a career with the NHS.

The Trust’s international recruitment is aligned with the World Health Organization’s Code of Practice, which sets out how recruitment can take place ethically from overseas.