International nurse recruitment programme

The programme

We are excited to have launched our international nurse recruitment programme. The programme supports international nurses as they make the huge commitment and transition to move to Lincolnshire. We offer the opportunity to become a registered mental health nurse in the UK. International nurses must have an OSCE (Observed Structured Clinical Examination) to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to practice in the UK. Our programme will support nurses throughout the entirety of this process.

Kay Gilman, Head of Workforce Transformation, said: 

“We’re excited to welcome nurses who have excellent mental health nursing experiences from across the world. We look forward to working with them and learning more about their cultures and ways of working.”

Click the following links to find out more about the OSCE and the NMC requirements for nurses practicing in the UK. 

• OSCE information
• NMC requirements

The process

The key aim for this programme is to recruit experienced overseas mental health nurses. This helps to maintain safe staffing levels and high standards of care across all Inpatient and community services. We are initially focusing on increasing registered mental health nurses in inpatient services.

• Before coming to the UK, nurses will need to pass the International English Language Testing System (IELTS or OET).
• Candidates can then start the first part of the NMC registration process. This includes a computer-based test (CBT) of theoretical and practical knowledge.
• Following this, applications can be made to the NMC. This is required to travel to the UK and take the Objective Structured Clinical Examinations. An individual normally has up to three months from the employment start date noted on the certificate to sit the exam.

About the role

Mental Health Nurse - Acute Inpatient Wards for adults and older adults

Acute care deals with people who are experiencing a severe, short term episode of mental illness.

Patients will only be admitted onto an Inpatient ward if they are experiencing serious mental distress which can’t be dealt with by a community service.

As a mental health nurse, your specialist skills will support patients who are most acutely unwell. Most Inpatient stays are short-term. You will start their recovery which will then transfer into the community with the help and support of colleagues.

We have four adult Acute Inpatient Wards in the county of Lincolnshire. These are Lincoln (Lincoln County Hospital), Boston (Pilgrim Bostonian Hospital) and Greylees near Sleaford. These wards cover the whole of the county.

Our Acute Inpatient staff are passionate. They play a huge role in helping service users who find themselves in difficult circumstances.

No day will ever be the same. You will experience huge pride for making a difference to a person’s life.

Our leaders are committed to ensuring their teams have the development tools they need to be the best they can be.

What we offer

Anyone joining LPFT as part of our international recruitment programme is paid at the top of Band 4 salary on the NHS Agenda for Change Annual Pay Scales 2021/22. This is £24,882 per annum until the successful completion of the OSCE exam. Once completed, the salary will move to a Band 5. This is a salary scale of £25,655 to £31,534 per annum.

Additional clinical support, mentoring and training will support with taking the OSCE exam. We will also ensure mentoring is available on how we work as an organisation. 

We are developing a strong pastoral care and robust onboarding process. This will ensure the needs of all our international nurses are met. We want everyone to feel culturally, emotionally and professionally supported.

This dedicated pastoral care and onboarding process includes:
Accommodation provided to our international nurses upon arrival to the UK within the first 3 months.
Arrangement and setting up of UK bank accounts
Registration with GP practices and dentists
Orientation of new arrivals to the local area. For example, local supermarkets, schools, bus stations, train stations, taxis, airports, places of worship, leisure and community centres.
A personal plan prepared in association with our innovative Staff Wellbeing Service.

We offer a package of benefits that go beyond standard NHS provision. More information on what we offer can be found on our dedicated webpage.

More information on what we offer can be found on our dedicated webpage.