NHS trust celebrates 25 years of Filipino nurses

Angelo Cuenca was 23 years old when he first came to work at Peterborough Hospital which was known as Edith Cavell Hospital

A local NHS trust is celebrating 25 years since the arrival of its very first cohort of Filipino nurses.

Angelo Cuenca was among 34 pioneering nurses who left the Philippines to join what is now the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (NWAFT) in 2000.

A quarter of a century later, he has become a Macmillan radiotherapy specialist nurse and says Peterborough "is home now.

"I have been blessed to be surrounded and supported by so many good people," Mr Cuenca said.

"Care and compassion for us is not just a professional norm, but our way of life."

The trust says a private party for the Filipino nurses and their families is planned for early November.

The North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust said nine of the original nurses still worked across its sites

Recalling his journey with the hospital, Mr Cuenca said: "My girlfriend came with me to the recruitment agency and to our surprise we were invited to sit a nursing exam on the spot. We passed – and the rest, as they say, is history."

He continued: "On arrival in Peterborough there were a few things which shocked me.

"In the Philippines all nurses were trained to cannulate patients, and at the time, this was not the case here.

"I was also assigned to care for the elderly, another shock to the system as back home we were not used to our elderly relatives being cared for in hospital."

Inocencia "Lynie" Gazo recently retired from her post

Inocencia "Lynie" Gazo left her husband and young son behind when she first came to work at the trust. They were reunited a year later.

She began her career at the former Peterborough District Hospital as a staff nurse, later rising to work in the chemotherapy day unit.

"Our group of nurses received such a warm and kind welcome from the trust," she recalled.

"We were given a wonderful meal, an advance on our pay, fully prepared flats with groceries, and even a phone card to call home.

"It meant so much to us."

Retchel Serofia, a deputy sister and professional nurse advocate at Huntingdon's Hinchingbrooke Hospital, said joining the NHS trust was "one of the best decisions I have ever made".

"I came abroad not only for myself but also to help my family. I enjoy my role and the fantastic team I work with."

Jo Bennis, chief nurse at the trust, said: "It cannot have been easy to leave family and friends thousands of miles away to follow their professional dream.

"It's an honour to know they call Peterborough 'home' and have made their lives here."

Nine out of the original 34 are still working at the trust.