Years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers continue to be in high demand around the world.
This is the case in the Caribbean as well, where not only have some countries had to look abroad for reinforcements, but some overseas countries have likewise turned to Caribbean talent to help shore up their healthcare systems.
As of this month, even the likes of England’s public healthcare system is looking to the Caribbean in the hopes that nurses, radiologists and other healthcare workers would be willing to migrate overseas to join their ranks.
The National Health Service (NHS) is one of the biggest healthcare employers in the United Kingdom. Now it’s partnering with Caribbean Employment Services Inc., a market-leading digital talent acquisition service based in Barbados but operational throughout the Caribbean, to launch a recruitment drive for qualified healthcare professionals.
The NHS has come to the region with open arms, requiring only that applicants have at least one year of hospital experience and no more than 18 months of an employment gap.
They are primarily looking for radiologists and nurses with specialities including Medical, Surgical, ICU, Theatres, Emergency, T&O, Haematology/ Oncology, Ophthalmology and Paediatrics.
Joseph Boll, Caribbean Employment Services Inc. CEO, lauded the unique opportunity being presented to the region’s workers who may be adventurous enough to take up a position overseas.
“We at Caribbean Employment are so thrilled to be working with the NHS to offer Caribbean citizens and residents the chance to gain exposure and further their professional development in the United Kingdom,” Boll said. “This is a real chance to boost your career, and the NHS is known as an employer that demonstrates how much it cares for the well-being of its staff.”
Adding his voice to that sentiment, Antony Law, International Regional Director, NHS Professionals (NHSP) International, emphasized that the NHS is offering more than just job opportunities.
As an organization whose motto is “Putting People in Places to Care”, he said, the NHS is also committed to providing its staff with work-life balance and career development.
“NHS Professionals has supported 7,000 international nurses, over the last two years, to relocate to the UK and start careers in the NHS,” Law said. “We are the largest supplier of international nurses here in the UK, and we fully support each nurse as an individual throughout all stages of the process. You will even be greeted by one of our team of experts at the airports when you land, ensuring that you are welcomed, valued and cared for from the beginning of your journey in the UK.”
Caribbean workers seeking to join the NHS can also benefit from flexible work arrangements, professional enrichment and other perks. In fact, Law said the entire point of the recruitment exercise is to help “diversify the skillset across the clinical wards that care for people across all specialties of nursing”.
“Every year, we help thousands of dedicated and highly skilled NHS workers enjoy better career opportunities, more flexible shifts and a healthier work-life balance,” he said. “Under the Tier 2 VISA, nurses are able to work an additional 20 hours per week if they wish to do so… By joining today, you can start looking forward to a choice of flexible NHS jobs and long-term placement opportunities, as well as the ability to develop professionally and gain experience in a number of wards.”
SOURCE: Caribbean Employment Services Inc.
ha oh yes they will leave cause the way they treating these nurses at the hospitals being understaffed and to work with less equipment it really sucks. i never heard taiwan or china give any millions of dollars to help our health sector in buying ambulances and all necessary equipment
Well St Lucia should go on a drive to increase training of nurses so that there could be enough to go around. Lots of young people in St Lucia have done well at CXC and due to coming from poor families are unable to afford the fees. I know because I talk to them all the time. I was lucky and had a lot of grit, so I pursued my education despite barriers. but not everyone is like that. Most need help. The government should look to training these nurses, making them serve a mandatory 3 years in St lucia while taking money from their salary, so that they can pay back cost of training them. Then let them go overseas. We have to find ways of making use of our human resources. The boys should be encouraged to train as paramedics , those that work with the ambulances. it can be done but government has to put programmes in place. and instead of borrowing money so politicians can steal use it to develop our human resources.
Interested
And you all believe that. Human trafficking I say.
A search on the Caribbean Employment Services Inc. website revealed no results for surgeon jobs. A shame. I know a few that are looking.
It’s all part of the brain drain where our trained and talented people have to seek greener pastures. I would encourage young people to go for it but at the same time try to continue bettering yourselves in your field of choice.
When they already force work our foreparents in the sugar cane field so the can enjoy what is now tea time. They are now seeking to rape our taxpayers where by money’s was spent to further some of our limited specialist to go work for them. You see money… That’s the core of evil. Why did they not go to Cuba. Perhaps our government should take a page from the iron man Castro. Open a well training school for nurses and send them abroad on contracts and you take a % from their salary every month.
A side comment. I think student nurse was taken out. Recall the nurse that they off? and still no follow up on her? poor girl. a comment section like this would not miss student nurse. so somethings dont add up.
This is just my humble opinion – any one who may be interested in this endeavor should conduct extensive and in-depth research into this opportunity. In addition, try to locate past and present participants and conduct interviews with them prior to before signing on the dotted line – just saying.
No one should lock into any contract before extensive evaluation of same – just saying.
It does seem a little unfair that the people we need to make St Lucia great leave. It is also true that staff in the NHS are treated awfully, underpaid and overworked. All the words about the positive aspects of the NHS in UK ignore the reality. The NHS is broken, the nurses and doctors are on strike, it can take 5 hrs to get an ambulance and millions of operations have been cancelled. Coupled with COVID 19 – the current state of the NHS is so bad the life expectancy rates for the UK population have dropped. Caribbean Employment Services Inc. sound like business people not interested in either the well being of St Lucia or St Lucians
Be careful,this could s scam many Nigerian paid large some of monies to get to the uk ,andit was just vanish please the hospitals direct or the nurses and midwife council or The British Embassy you don,t visa for Uk.good luck
UUnited Kingdom trained Nurse,/Midwife