NURSES and midwives trained abroad and working across the North West have been recognised by The King for their contributions to the NHS at a royal reception at Buckingham Palace this week.

A group of 25 internationally educated nurses and midwives working at NHS trusts across the region attended The King’s Birthday Reception on Tuesday 14 November to highlight the invaluable role our international workforce plays in the NHS.

The prestigious reception celebrated 75 years of the NHS and His Majesty’s 75th birthday.

James McLean, Joint Chief Nurse at NHS England North West, said: “Our international workforce play a vital role in providing excellent and compassionate care to our patients and I’m unbelievably proud of the 25 nurses who represented the North West at such a special event – congratulations to you all.

“In the North West, we are leading the way with a number of successful international recruitment and support programmes, helping skilled and experienced clinicians train and adapt to work in the NHS and grow our workforce.”

Sali Thomas, Head of Nursing and Operational Manager at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS FT was selected to attend the royal reception for her contribution, support and hard work on international recruitment and developing educational pathway for newly registered nurses at the trust.

Commenting on the event, she said: “I’m grateful to my trust for the nomination to meet His Majesty The King. When I received this letter, I did not know what to expect. What a great surprise and lovely opportunity to attend such as special event, especially on The Kings 75th Birthday.”

The reception was also attended by NHS England’s Chief Executive Officer Amanda Pritchard, Chief Nursing Officer Ruth May, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer Duncan Burton, Chief Midwifery Officer Kate Brintworth and the Health Secretary Victoria Atkins.

Maria Gasmin, Lead Infection Prevention Nurse at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS FT, was recognised for supporting and bringing together international nurses at the trust as well as her role in surgery improvement projects to improve length of stays in hospital.

She said: “I consider meeting His Majesty King Charles on his birthday a huge honour and privilege, and to be one of the nurses who’ve made a difference in the NHS is a true pinch me moment.

“Thank you to the trust for nominating me for this opportunity. I represented all internationally educated colleagues, you were all with me on this special day.”

Raji Thomas, Lecturer in Practice at Liverpool John Moores University, who was nominated by her former trust Alder Hey Children’s Hospital NHS FT, described attending the event as ‘a dream come true’. She said: “I’ve had the privilege of supporting 128 nurses at Alder Hey as Pastoral Educational Lead.

“The journey began during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, where the need to strengthen and build resilience became paramount for international nurses.

“My commitment turned into passion to see these nurses not just survive but thrive and settle well in England to ensure they provide the best care to our little champions at Alder Hey.

“This invitation holds profound significance, and I am sincerely grateful for the recognition. It’s a testament to the collective efforts of our healthcare community during challenging times.”

The full list of 25 internationally educated nurses and midwives who attended The King’s Birthday Reception is available below:

Greater Manchester

• Kahani Awasare, International Recruitment & Pastoral Support Project Lead, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS FT
• Alex Pinzar – Lead Nurse for Nursing and Midwifery Workforce Development, Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS FT
• Narinder Saini, Deputy Director of Nursing, Manchester University Hospitals NHS FT
• Susy Pramod, Lead Nurse Tissue Viability, The Christie NHS FT
• Sali Thomas, Head of Nursing and Operational Manager, Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS FT
• Angel Rose, Cheruvathoor Ouseph, Staff Nurse, Stockport NHS FT
• Sindhu Jayan, Senior Sister Accident and Emergency, Bolton NHS FT

Cheshire and Merseyside

• Joselito Mariñas, Deputy Director of Nursing Workforce Development, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS FT
• Shaiby Coot, Infection Prevention and Control Nurse (secondee), Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS FT
• Blessy Pappachan, Registered Nurse Mental Health, Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust
• Vincent Obita, Endoscopy Staff Nurse, Countess of Chester Hospital NHS FT
• Raji Thomas, former staff nurse, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital NHS FT
• Camila Benavides-Gamnoa, Midwife, Liverpool Women’s Hospital NHS FT
• Surabhi Bharathan, Nurse, Mersey Care NHS FT
• Indra Kunder, Pastoral Support Nurse, Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS FT
• Sijimole Chackochen, Clinical Research Nurse / Internal Nurse Ambassador, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital FT
• Vidya Jyothi, Nurse, The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS FT
• Parvathy Viijyakumar, Staff Nurse, The Walton Centre NHS FT
• Emmanuel Frimpong, Charge Nurse, East Cheshire NHS Trust

Lancashire and South Cumbria

• John Matthew, Nurse, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
• Victor Quiatchon, Advanced Critical Care Practitioner, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS FT
• Greeshma Nair, Trainee Advanced Clinical Practitioner Mental Health, Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT
• Meettu Koshy, Clinical Nurse Tutor, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Maria Gasmin, Lead Infection Prevention Nurse, University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust

North West

• Steven Colfar, Deputy Director of Nursing – Professional and System Development, NHS England North West