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10,000+ Keralan nurse recruits help plug NHS staffing gap

A Keralan nurse has recruited more than 10,000 nurses from the Indian state after campaigning to make nurse language tests more realistic
Febin Cyriac has helped more than 10,000 nurses from India secure jobs in the NHS

A Keralan nurse has recruited more than 10,000 nurses from the Indian state after campaigning to make nurse language tests more realistic

Febin Cyriac has helped more than 10,000 nurses from India secure jobs in the NHS
Febin Cyriac has helped more than 10,000 nurses from India secure jobs in the NHS

A nurse in Scotland who helped change English language test rules for overseas nurses has now secured more than 10,000 jobs in the NHS for people from his home state in India.

‘Unrealistic’ language tests were obstructing overseas recruitment

Febin Cyriac emigrated from Kerala, India to the UK in 2010 to complete his training as a nurse in Cambridgeshire and later went on to work in social care and the prison service.

But after taking a job at a nursing agency in Aberdeen he became aware of the ‘serious shortfall’ of UK nurses compared to the surplus of health workers in the thriving state of Kerala.

He found ‘unrealistic’ language tests were the main hurdle for overseas nurses – namely the notoriously difficult International English Language Testing System (IELTS). At a time when more than half of new nurses joining the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register are from overseas, Mr Cyriac knew something needed to change.

‘It made no sense that nurses needed the highest levels of hugely technical English, then to be placed in an Aberdeen care home, for example, only to struggle with the strong local dialect and leaving everyone involved lost in translation,’ said Mr Cyriac.

‘What was really needed was a good degree of conversational English and common understanding.’

Amended testing process has allowed recruitment from Kerala to thrive

Mr Cyriac took matters into his own hands in 2014 and started a petition for the NMC to introduce the Occupational English Test (OET), like that used in Australia. In November 2017 it was finally approved as an alternative test.

More recently, the NMC made further changes to make passing the English language test easier for nurses trained outside the UK to allow registrants to combine test scores and provide supporting evidence of proficiency from employers.

Since then, in his role at nursing agency Envertiz Consultancy, Mr Cyriac has recruited thousands of nurses from Kerala to NHS jobs all over the UK, recently hitting the 10,000 milestone.

A collaborative approach to global nursing workforce issues

Inspired by his own career as an international nurse, Mr Cyriac says he is passionate about helping skilled nurses secure safe and trustworthy jobs. He said the recruitment industry in India is often rife with ‘loan sharks’ and people charging extortionate relocation fees.

‘I’m proud of what we’ve achieved for nurses looking to broaden their prospects overseas. Especially at a time of urgent need,’ he added.

‘My aspiration though, is for countries to recognise that the availability of healthcare professionals is a global problem which can only be solved by sharing knowledge and best practice. It’s crucial for the future.’


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