Three internationally educated nurses shared their personal stories about moving to west Wales as part of Hywel Dda University Health Board’s Annual General Meeting.

At the meeting on September 26, Sithara Kunjumol and Soniya Jose from Kerala, India, and Kandace Winter-Lawson, from Trinidad and Tobago, talked passionately about their experience of leaving their family and home country behind to pursue their NHS nursing career and expressed their gratitude for the warm welcome they had from Hywel Dda UHB and local communities.

Kandace, a registered nurse in the Accident and Emergency Department in Glangwili Hospital said: “Moving from the warmth of Trinidad and Tobago to the freezing cold of London in January was quite an experience, but this was countered by the warm welcome, care and support from the outstanding team in Hywel Dda.

"I'm grateful for the amazing opportunities I have been given to progress my career here, and to be able to support other international nursing colleagues. I hope to become an advanced nurse practitioner here one day. The greatest moment of my career so far was meeting HRH The King at Buckingham Palace in November 2023 and I am so grateful for this once in a lifetime opportunity."

Soniya, a Junior Sister, who also works in Glangwili Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department said: “I have been able to progress my career since joining Hywel Dda, including moving to a higher band role. I’m enjoying the opportunities to develop in the nursing profession and I’m proud to be able to provide greater support in A&E at Glangwili.”

Soniya’s sentiments were echoed by Sithara, a registered nurse in the hospital’s Merlin Ward who added: “I am grateful to my managers, trainers and my colleagues for helping me settle in and empowering me to grow my career here in Hywel Dda. I also very much enjoy training and supporting other international nurses and helping them to adapt here.”

The Health Board has welcomed 97 nurses and 6 doctors from the international community, alongside nurses from Wales and the rest of the UK. It continues to develop new approaches to recruitment and retention to strengthen its workforce for the future.

Neil Wooding, Chair of Hywel Dda University Health Board said: “It was incredibly moving to listen to Sithara, Soniya and Kandace sharing their experiences and I was very humbled to hear how much they feel welcomed and supported as part of our workforce family.

“On behalf of the Board, I wish them well in advancing their careers within the organisation and look forward to welcoming more staff from the international community in the future.”

During its annual general meeting, the Health Board also reflected on the past year, reviewing the organisation’s annual report, and its financial accounts. The report and presentations set out to staff, patients and the public the Health Board’s activities between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024, what has been challenging, and how it intends improve services for local people. 

The main themes of the meeting also included how the Health Board is progressing against its strategic objectives, its ongoing recovery from the pandemic, new initiatives, and its performance against a number of measures, including planned care, diagnostics and therapies, urgent and emergency care, cancer, mental health, patient experience, infection control and workforce.  

The support of patients, families and local communities for the health board’s charity, Hywel Dda Health Charities, was also recognised. Examples were provided of fundraising activities which contributed to £2.66million charitable income, and of the many services and activities above and beyond core NHS expenditure which were charitable funded.

Dr Wooding added: "This annual event gave us an opportunity to reflect on another busy year, but also to look ahead to 2024/25. While things are still very challenging for the NHS, we have a clear vision to help us recover from the impact of the pandemic, address our long-standing financial challenge, and build a health system resilient and sustainable for the future. 

“We have significant service fragilities and, whilst the compassion and professionalism of our staff is to be cherished, we accept that the quality of care and patient experience is not always as we would wish. While we have made good progress in reducing the number of patients who are waiting for treatment, we know that it is difficult for people who are still waiting and we are deeply sorry for this.

“Thank you to everyone working in and with Hywel Dda University Health Board, whatever your role, for your dedication, professionalism, steadfastness and kindness as we care for our patients every day, often in very difficult circumstances. We are proud of our Hywel Dda family and privileged to serve our communities across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire now and in the year ahead.”