A new international campaign has been launched to increase the number of nurses who train, work and live in Wales.
A major campaign was launched today (9 May) alongside health secretary Vaughan Gething’s announcement that bursaries for student nurses, midwives and allied health professionals will continue to be available in Wales in 2018/19.
The bursary will be based upon a ‘golden handshake’ where the students will commit in advance to work in Wales for two years after they qualify.
The Train, Work, Live campaign, which will be represented at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Congress this month, will reach out to newly qualified and experienced registered nurses from around the world.
The recruitment campaign forms part of the Welsh Government commitment to take action to attract and train more nurses, GPs and other health professionals across Wales.
It follows their recent GP recruitment campaign, which saw a 16% increase in GP training places filled.
Those interested in the scheme can visit the website www.trainworklive.wales or call 01443 848 576 for more details.
‘Taking positive action’
Health secretary Vaughan Gething said: ‘In Wales, we are committed to investing in supporting the training and development of nurses, midwives and other professionals working in our NHS.
‘We can offer flexible working arrangements and support for nurses and we are the first country in Europe to introduce a nurse staffing levels law.
‘Wales is a great place to train, work and live; we value the professional judgement of nurses and we want to get that message out to attract more nurses to come experience what we have to offer.
‘I’m pleased to announce the bursary will continue to be available to those who commit in advance to work in Wales, post qualification, for two years.
‘We’re taking positive action to attract more health professionals across the country and investing in education and training are key to developing our workforce.’
‘Wales has a lot to offer’
Professor Jean White said: ‘The Welsh Government has significantly increased investment in nurse education with more nurses educated annually now than at any time since devolution’
‘There are opportunities to learn on the job with continuing professional development that supports nursing revalidation requirements.
‘We are committed to investing in education, in the right staffing levels, and in the professional development of our nurses. Wales has a lot to offer, from our fantastic coastline, mountains, to our towns and cities, and I want to encourage nurses to consider Wales as a place to train, work and live.’
