Twenty five internationally educated nurses (IEN) and midwives from the South East were amongst hundreds celebrated for their invaluable contributions to the NHS and Social Care last week.

Hosted by the King, a special ceremony took place at Buckingham Palace which recognised the diversity of nurses and midwives in the UK and paid a particular tribute to the contribution of the internationally educated workforce.

Debra Elliott, NHS England’s Deputy Director for Nursing and Workforce in the South East of England and Wendy Keating, the region’s Assistant Director for Nursing, Professionalism and System Development attended the event which took place on the King’s 75^th birthday – Monday 14 November.

Reflecting on the night, Debra said: “It was a very special event. The nurses were delighted to meet the King and it was majestic to see all the different national dress and different cultures together to be recognised.”

The pair were joined by twenty three other nursing and midwifery colleagues from the South East, including three colleagues from Kent and Medway; four from Surrey; five from Sussex; two from Frimley; six from Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire and three from Hampshire Isle of Wight.

Speaking after the event, Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust’s (HHFT) Deputy Divisional Chief Nurse, Radhika Vijayakrishnan, said: “It

was an absolute pleasure to be invited for the reception at Buckingham Palace with His Majesty, King Charles, and Chief Nurse of England, Dame Ruth May. It was a day to cherish forever.

“During the reception I was able to talk to the Duke of Gloucestershire about the support my Trust provides to all the Internationally Educated Nurses. I am proud to work for the NHS and be with HHFT for many more years.”

Another attendee, Idris Gbadamosi, who has worked on a project to improve the experience and retention of IENs at Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, and is also an international recruitment fellow at NHS South East England, echoed Radhika’s words. He said: “As an IEN, I felt such joy because our work and contribution to UK health and social care was recognised and valued.”

Senior Clinical Practice Educator for the international recruitment team of nurses at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, Netce Sia, felt honoured to have been invited to the royal ceremony. She said: “I feel truly blessed and grateful to have received this invitation from The King to celebrate international nurses and midwives at Buckingham Palace. I did not know anything about it and could not believe when I first received the invite in the mail. However, I am very thankful to have been present for a lovely evening recognising the contribution and impact of international nurses and midwives and all involved.

She added: “The evening was a great boost of morale, especially to have had a couple of brief moments to speak to the King and celebrate his birthday with him. Being inside Buckingham Palace was an incredible experience and was as majestic as I had always imagined it to be.”