Scarborough-based care provider praises 'excellent partnership' with overseas care workers

Saint Cecilia’s Care Group has employed 32 staff from India, Zimbabwe, Ghana and Nigeria in the last year.

And Mike Padgham, the group’s Managing Director, said the way they have blended with the existing workforce has been a revelation.

“We are blessed to have excellent staff across Saint Cecilia’s and the way our overseas recruits have fitted in and the welcome they have received has bowled us over,” he said.

“We were in dire need of staff to cope with shortages and together with our existing staff they have all literally ensured that we were able to keep on delivering care.”

He was speaking out after the Government announced measures that might reduce the number of overseas workers who come to work in this country – including a ban on overseas staff bringing dependents.

Mr Padgham added: “We couldn’t have got through the past year without overseas staff joining the rest of our team.

"Apart from care, they have added cultural diversity, new personalities and fresh energy to our care centres.”

The care group recently won the Scarborough News Business Excellence Award for the health and wellbeing of its workforce and was a runner-up in the diversity and inclusion category at the same event.

In a heartfelt and unsolicited letter of thanks, two of the overseas staff, Harriet and Yvonne, wrote: “Your support during the interview and recruitment processes through to the processes of our documentation, issuance of visa, and ultimately our movement from our country to join you at Saint Cecilia's Care Group was very much appreciated.

“Gaining employment at Saint Cecilia's Care Group has wiped so much tears from our faces, restored enormous confidence and instilled a sense of pride that, we stand on the soldiers of giant in this sector. We remain eternally grateful.”

In a Saint Cecilia’s newsletter, another of the overseas recruits, Evans Sarbeng said: “I have been made to feel very welcome here and am very happy. I have been telling people it is the best decision I have made.”

And officials from the Department of Health and Social Care were impressed when they called in to see how the company’s overseas staff were settling in.

Following the visit, they wrote to say that it had been a great experience to speak to the international recruits, whose efficient journey to the UK was a ‘huge credit to the dedication and commitment’ of Saint Cecilia’s.

Earlier this year a party was held at the Group’s Normanby House care home in Scarborough [pictured], when the overseas staff brought in food that was native to their home country to share as part of the celebrations.

“You can see from what they say and from what the DHSC delegation saw, that our overseas staff are happy and settled here with us and doing a fantastic job,” Mr Padgham added.

Saint Cecilia’s has a nursing home, two care homes and a day care centre in Scarborough, a care home in Pickering and a nursing home in Whitby.