Diogo Silva

Diogo Silva, 24, has been a charge nurse for nearly two years on ward 28 at Bradford Royal Infirmary – our orthopaedic ward.

Originally from Porto, Portugal, he moved to Bradford with his fiancée, fellow BTHFT nurse Catarina Costa.

Diogo chose to move from Portugal to the UK because of the career opportunities.

He said: “The opportunities for career development are very good over here. As an overseas nurse at Bradford you get a lot of support and opportunities to develop. And the NHS is well known around the world.

“But it’s a completely different culture and environment. The only things that are similar are the stop signs on the roads! It was hard at first but I got a lot of help from my team and my manager. The Trust itself provides help with accommodation and everything you need. There is a whole team involved in helping nurses from abroad.

“As it stands I want to stay for at least 10 years. I would like to go as high as I can. I want to go back with the feeling that I have done my best. The people in this Trust make you feel appreciated and know how to work as a team. Everyone is valued.

“And everything starts with patient care. We provide patients with the best care and prioritise their individual needs. Along with the ward manager, I manage a team of around 25 staff nurses, healthcare assistants and ward clerks, and work with the multi-disciplinary team for the benefit of patients.

“The good thing about our patients is that they always leave independently. You get satisfaction from seeing them go through surgery and then leaving through the door. It’s very rewarding. It’s great to get appreciation from patients too.”

Ward 28 deals mostly with hip and knee replacements and often takes trauma patients too.

“The fact that we are able to provide patients with the best care and the team is well regarded is very rewarding,” Diogo added.

“This was recognised recently when ward 28 won Team of the Year at the Bradford Teaching Hospitals’ Staff Awards.”

Diogo particularly enjoys his role because he is also able to spot areas for improvement and implement change. He is now studying for further qualifications too.

“I am very happy and have only been in my current job for a few months, but I have done a leadership programme and now I am studying for a postgraduate diploma at university in Support for Learning and Practice.

“Within the next year or two I would like to be a ward manager. But I have only been in this job for four months so I need a little bit more experience first.”

However, there is one thing that Diogo has not been entirely happy with while living in the UK. You guessed it – the weather.

“You also get four or five months of summer in Portugal. Here you get four or five days!”