Royal Surrey’s senior nursing and midwifery team have welcomed the first cohort of overseas paediatric nurses.

Five of the six experienced nurses arrived from Ghana and Nigeria, they were upbeat and enthusiastic about starting their new adventures. One nurse will fly in later.

Ndidiamaka Ajah, from Nigeria, has worked as a paediatric nurse for 11 years in her home country.

She said: “It’s exciting to be here and I feel elated. The weather is quite cold however!”

Paediatric practice development lead Kay Shekleton said: “We are thrilled to be welcoming our first cohort of paediatric nurses to Royal Surrey.

“This is a new step for us, thanks to a change in the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) rules, which allows us to recruit overseas paediatric nurses as well as adult nurses.”

The nurses will be based in the Hascombe paediatric ward and in the Paediatric Emergency Department. As they work through their Test of Competence programme to gain NMC registration.

Professional director of midwifery and paediatric nursing, Amy Stubbs added: “This will make a significant difference to our new overseas nurses who are making the big leap and joining our Trust.

“Although it may feel quite overwhelming at first, leaving families and friends behind, we are keen to let our new recruits know that there is a great deal of support available to them to make the transition as smooth as possible.

“Our dedicated practice development and overseas recruitment teams are here to help with any questions, advice or support.”