Staffing success: NHS Professionals International and Pan-Mersey win at the HSJ Partnership Awards 2023!
LONDON: Last night, at the industry-leading HSJ Partnership Awards, NHS Professionals International (NHSPI), in partnership with the Pan-Mersey group of NHS Trusts, were named winners of the ‘Staffing Solution of the Year’ award.
The accolades recognise outstanding dedication to improving healthcare, effective collaboration, and exceptional partnership with the NHS. The awards, now in their sixth year, honour the most effective and innovative projects in the UK health system.
The winning entry, entitled ‘Innovation in International Recruitment’ addressed the shortage of specialist and generalist nurses across Merseyside during the pandemic and beyond. NHSPI worked in partnership with the Pan-Mersey group, who formed a collaboration of 11 Trusts to pool resources and successfully achieve a challenging recruitment goal. By working together, NHSPI and Pan-Mersey delivered exceptional outcomes, exceeded expectations, and recruited all the healthcare professionals that were required.
Key results included:
- the successful recruitment of over 1,000 international healthcare professionals
- supporting the set up of three dedicated, in-house OSCE training hubs
- an innovative and tailored pastoral care offering for the nurses recruited, ensuring effective onboarding and engagement, leading to a 98% retention rate overall
The judging panel comprised a diverse range of highly regarded figures across the NHS and wider healthcare sector. They specifically praised the project as best practice in pastoral care support, highlighting how it demonstrated effective use of data to enhance processes and used a continuous improvement methodology to review the approach and build on the success achieved.
Commenting on the win, NHS Professionals Chief Executive Nicola McQueen said:
“I am absolutely thrilled that we came away with the HSJ Partnership Award for Staffing Solution of the Year, together with Pan-Mersey, for innovation in international recruitment. The dedication, hard work and commitment of both teams truly show how effective collaboration in international recruitment can bring huge benefits to the NHS, and ultimately to patient care. It is a fantastic achievement.”
Winners were announced at Evolution London. The event was attended by over 900 guests, bringing together national healthcare leaders and professionals, all there to celebrate the crucial contributions made within the NHS. The evening, hosted by comedian Joel Dommett, highlighted the achievements of over 140 finalists from across the sector.
Hadrien Kieffer, Director of International Recruitment at NHS Professionals, whose team led the programme said: “Winning an HSJ Partnership Award with Pan-Mersey highlights the importance of effective collaboration and the benefits it can have for the NHS. The Pan-Mersey team were open, innovative, and willing to think differently to achieve the results needed. I am delighted for everyone involved and cannot wait to see this new model continue to grow, in Merseyside and across the country.”
Speaking after the awards, Joselito Marinas, Associate Director, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "On behalf of everyone at the Pan Mersey collaborative, I am so pleased that we have won this award as a result of our partnership with NHS Professionals International. Throughout the project, the teams involved acted as true partners across all 11 Trusts. They understood the importance of an exceptional candidate experience, couple with a relentless focus on patient care. We were supported at every step of the process and The Pan Mersey team, and I are ecstatic that this project has been recognised at such a prestigious level. We look forward to working together in the future."