Mary Seacole Trust, NHS launch Storytellers project

London:

A group of nurses from as far away as Uganda, the Philippines, and the Caribbean has been chosen as pioneers in a new joint project by the Mary Seacole Trust and the NHS. It aims to raise awareness of the experiences and opportunities nurses from overseas face when they arrive to work in Britain.

As part of the ‘Mary Seacole and Me Storytellers’ programme, the 13 nurses will take part in a pilot study that will see them travelling the United Kingdom to deliver talks on Mary Seacole’s work, their own journeys, and the contribution of modern-day ‘Marys to UK’ healthcare.

Chair of the Mary Seacole Trust Trevor Sterling said: “Mary Seacole was an international nurse who overcame incredible challenges to help those in need, and we wanted to hear and learn from nurses and midwives who followed in her footsteps.

“The stories told by these modern-day Marys are humbling and inspiring. Their dedication to patient care shines through despite the challenges they have faced – from the logistical problems of changing countries to racism and discrimination within the health-service structure. However, what we also find is that hard work and determination have led to huge achievements, both personal and for the care of patients.”

Jeni Caguioa, senior clinical manager, Midlands for NHS England, said: “The Mary Seacole and Me Storytellers programme enables our international nurses and midwives to be seen in a new light. They are not “just a pair of hands”, but they are resilient and courageous individuals who have faced head-on the challenges that come with working in a new country, like what Mary Seacole did during the Crimean War. The impact on our participants has been profound both personally and professionally.”

Dr Beverly Joshua, nurse and head of Health Sciences at the University of Greenwich, and keynote speaker at the launch and celebration of the first cohort in London last week, told the group: “You have not only survived the transition to a new country, you have thrived.” She added that there needs, however, to be more support for internationally-trained nurses.

MUTUAL SUFFERING, ENDURANCE

The nurses participating in the Mary Seacole and me Storytellers project are from a variety of countries and backgrounds. Among them are Catherine Maina, senior haemodialysis nurse, St Georges NHS Foundation Trust, South London, who came to the UK from Kenya in 2019.

Michael Joel Apas, clinical practice educator for International Nursing, Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust, came from the Philippines. He said: “In the words of Mary Seacole, our setbacks are a great leveller, and our mutual suffering and endurance made us all friends. There is a Mary Seacole budding in each one of us. Our story is our core, and that story needs to be told.”

Michio Schuck, practice development nurse, Hull University Teaching Hospital, came to the UK from the Philippines in 2019. She said: “I would say it was very daunting to me when I first stepped into the ward as it was a totally different English from what I know. The slangs, accents, and even sayings and phrases. Then the system is so complicated. There were so many policies and protocols I had to understand.”

Jenneth Orias, midwife, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, came to England from the Philippines in 2022. She said: “Coming from an obstetric-led model of care and hierarchy, I found it difficult to adapt to my role and felt dumb and stupid because it took me 14 months to work autonomously instead of 12 weeks supernumerary.

“It greatly impacted my confidence. I thought about downgrading my role or just quitting. No matter how long it took, I was able to come out of supernumerary period in May 2023, and since then, I started working on my own. It has been a long journey, but if I gave up along the way, I wouldn’t be in my situation now.”

Yanique Munroe, a junior sister at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, came to the UK from Jamaica in 2018. She said: “My future career ambition is to become a specialist nurse in cancer research because my passion is to return to my home country and help fight and improve cancer care. Like Mary Seacole, I have overcome challenges while helping those in need, and I endeavour to make changes and improve my personal lifestyle.”

Mary Seacole was born of Jamaican and Scottish parents in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1805 and followed in her mother’s footsteps as a doctress, nurse, and entrepreneur. In 1850, she nursed victims of the Jamaican cholera outbreak. Mary loved to travel and in 1851 single-handedly cared for patients during a cholera epidemic in Panama. Her role in the Crimean War is well documented. She was mentioned in dispatches where her contributions were praised and she was warmly described as ‘Mother Seacole’. Mary died in London in 1881 and is buried in St Mary’s Cemetery, Kensal Green.