Forward Thinking Birmingham colleagues attend Sharing and Learning Conference
Forward Thinking Birmingham and Mental Health Services recently held their first annual conference ‘Sharing and Learning’ dedicated to our International Educated Nurses. Delegates representing many of our Forward Thinking Birmingham (FTB) Community and Inpatient teams came together for a wonderful day of connection, reflection and celebration.
Sandhya Gopalakrishnan-Nair, Staff Nurse Irwin Unit at Parkview Clinic said “It was a remarkable idea to have a conference of internationally educated nurses and from my view I must say it was worth attending."
Since 2022, FTB has welcomed 48 Internationally Educated Nurses, and this has played a huge role in reducing nursing vacancies across our Trust. Their positive contributions have proven to be a huge asset to the organisation and have enriched our workforce immensely.
Fatuma Hussain, Deputy Ward Manager Irwin Unit Parkview Clinic explained the importance of the day: “The conference underscored the significant difference international nurses are making in the care of young people, reinforcing the value of international collaboration and the positive impact it can have on the system as a whole.
"It gave me renewed faith in the potential for continued improvement and a deeper appreciation of the contributions we make, both individually and collectively, to enhance patient care.”.
The day was filled with reflections on successes, challenges, and ideas around Compassion, Physical Health and Ubuntu.
Ubuntu is a peer support forum that provides a safe, confidential and conducive environment where each individual feels accepted and understood. It aims to support Internationally Educated nurses with cultural adaptation and integrating into the work environment.
A ‘Live Your Values’ exercise was undertaken to celebrate what individuals bring to their roles in work and as people. It was really encouraging to hear the qualities each individual brings and powerful to hear it being spoken out.
Sarah-Jayne Alleyne added: “Having a nursing event which supports a collective voice is very important. The nurses coming together brought a sense of unity and vision."
The session on physical health looked at how nurses trained outside of the UK have a vast array of physical health knowledge and skill. In considering how the profile of physical health can be raised in a mental health service, rich discussions and ideas were shared. Identifying where there may be physical health gaps within FTB and Parkview Clinic services is an area for ongoing quality improvement initiatives which the IEN community are keen to be inputting into.
Laura Bates shared: “It was a privilege to celebrate our IEN’s who give so much to our young people. Their presence in our teams has radically improved the workforce both in number and quality, bringing diverse expertise and revitalising the clinical areas they have been placed.
"Our hope is that the conversations had today will continue to grow, and that today really was the first of many future conferences, led by the IENs themselves. I look forward to attending next year’s one.”
A commitment was made that all discussions will continued further, to better support our internationally educated nurses.