The Welsh government’s annual recruitment campaign, ‘Train, Work, Live’, which is now in its third year, works to recruit more nurses to come and work in the country.
“I’m keen that we use this flagship campaign to ensure that we have the healthcare workforce we need”
Vaughan Gething
On this year’s launch, minister for health and social services, Vaughan Gething, said that as well as recruiting more nurses to Wales, he hoped the campaign would encourage more men to consider taking up a career in the sector too.
To help boost the number of nurses who are male in Wales, senior workforce transformation nurse, Richard Desir, is fronting the campaign.
Around one in 10 of Wales’ nurses are men, a figure which has remained static for many years, and seems to be a common trend in other parts of the UK too.
Of the 32,927 people working in nursing, midwifery and health visitor roles in Wales, just under 4,000 are male.
Mr Desir qualified as a nurse in 1989 and went to live in Wales with his family in 2007. He said the move has helped him to develop his career and achieve a balanced lifestyle for himself and his young family.
Mr Desir said he had previously worked in a variety of clinical settings in the North of England. He explained how he made the move after meeting his wife who is Welsh.
“Moving to Wales to continue our careers here seemed the natural thing to do,” he said. “Living in Wales is great from a career and family perspective.
‘Real time’ monitoring of HCAIs in Welsh hospitals
Vaughan Gething
“For people looking to try something new, come and see what Wales has to offer. I guarantee you won’t regret it,” he added.
The international campaign, which launched in 2016, supports A Healthier Wales – the Welsh government’s long-term strategy for health and social services in Wales. It aims to attract more nurses, GPs and other health professionals across the country.
Health minister Mr Gething said the campaign had a “really broad reach”.
“We want to attract people who have been working in the nursing profession for years, as well as those who may be new to it. And even those who may have already left nursing but would consider returning to practice here,” he said.
“Wales has a huge amount to offer in terms of facilities and lifestyle and I’m keen that we use this flagship campaign to ensure that we have the healthcare workforce we need both now and for the future,” he added.
https://www.nursingtimes.net/news/workforce/male-nurse-chosen-as-face-of-welsh-recruitment-campaign/7029145.article