A novel scheme to help both new overseas nurses and UK nurses returning to practice has been devised by a specialist Wirral training company.

My Nurses Life (MNL) are inviting nurses who have left the caring profession to return and to mentor young overseas nurses who have already arrived or are coming to the UK.

Under Nursing and Midwifery Council guidelines, UK nurses wanting to return to practice have to sit an exam of competence known as the OSCE, which is the same exam the new recruits from abroad have to take.

Helen Romnes, MNL Managing Director, said: “The experience of the UK return to practice nurses will prove invaluable for the overseas recruits coming to ease the staffing crisis in our hospitals and community.”

Since 2010 the NHS has been haemorrhaging jobs at a rate at one in ten, with more than 33,000 staff walking away last year alone.

“When also taking into account the ‘tens of thousands’ of NHS staff off work sick or self- isolating because of coronavirus, the need for more nurses has never been more urgent," added Helen.

She said: “We are so fortunate to have these overseas recruits coming to work in our communities. The courage and tenacity they are showing is remarkable.

“Only last week while conducting one of our virtual classes I learnt one of the nurses had been admitted into hospital that same morning with severe appendicitis. To my astonishment there he was, pen in hand, joining the class from his hospital bed just a few hours before having his appendix removed.”

“We urge the UK nurses considering returning to the hospitals, to join our classrooms - either face-to-face or virtually and to take an overseas colleague under their wing.

“The NMC have done an incredible job in modernising and simplifying the OSCE exam without compromising on patient safety and we aim to continue to complement that move and with the experienced returnees at our schools we can ensure the overseas recruits are better prepared for life working in the UK health sector and more importantly stay in it.”

“We feel so strongly that this is the way forward we will reimburse those returning nurses part of their fee for their generosity of spirit and kinship shown by mentoring."