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  As a 23-year-old general nurse with a thirst to develop his career, Angelo Cuenca travelled the 6,600 miles from the Philippines to start a new life in the UK.

That was back in 2000, when Angelo was among the first group of 34 trained and experienced nurses to make the long journey to Peterborough. He joined his girlfriend (now wife) in the UK who then worked in Chertsey, Surrey.

November 10 marks the 25^th anniversary of the group’s arrival, taking up nursing duties in a range of specialities at the former Peterborough District and Edith Cavell hospitals.

Of the 34 original nurses, nine are still in post at Peterborough, and remain key members of staff and of the local Filipino community - which has grown with the arrival of more nurses over the years, and who work at both Peterborough City and Hinchingbrooke hospitals.  

Others from the original group have since retired or have moved elsewhere in the country and abroad, including America.

Angelo, a Macmillan Ra diotherapy Specialist Nurse with North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, recalls: “Back home we had heard about some vacancies overseas for trained nurses, and as our current pay was relatively poor (£200 a month) I decided to go along and register. 

“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.

“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.”

Angelo (pictured) added: “ I started on Ward 3 at the old Edith Cavell Hospital, where I felt accepted, loved and cared for. Any worries I had quickly disappeared thanks to the team, so I could concentrate on doing what’s best for our patients. I was also looked after very well by our rooted Filipino and non-Filipino friends in Peterborough winning my wife’s vote to relocate from Chertsey.

“I am a proud Filipino Nurse in the UK. Care and compassion for us is not just a professional norm, but our way of life. We were raised to have the sense of belongingness called ‘kapwa’ weaved into our daily lives. We embody this with our quiet resilience, strong sense of community, and taking pride and responsibility of whatever we undertake by actively listening and communicating with our service users and the person across. We see people as ‘our people’ irrespective of demographics. This is simple truth and gesture that we genuinely care about our community beyond the walls of our institution.”

Throughout his eventful 25 years in Peterborough, Angelo has worked hard to enhance and change some policies and procedures to provide patients with a more positive experience.

His focus is now on caring for patients with cancer in the Oncology Unit at Peterborough City Hospital.

Some of his recent work to improve care has included changes to enhance patients’ experience of the Discharge Lounge, improvements to diary and planning systems for nurses delivering chemotherapy services, electronic prescribing for Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) and the introduction of nurse-led PICC insertion and SACT toxicity clinics.

A private party is planned in early November to celebrate the 25^th anniversary, with Filipino nurses past and present, and their families, invited to celebrate and reminisce.

"Peterborough is home now,” said Angelo. “My wife and I were married here, our children were born here and as a family we are active in our local church, school and community. The strength of the local Filipino community and the support of my work colleagues has really made it feel like home. We have been blessed to be surrounded and supported by so many good people.”

Jo Bennis, Chief Nurse at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We are hugely indebted to our wonderful Filipino nursing recruits for the excellent care and support they have provided for our patients since the year 2000.

"Thank you to all our staff from the Philippines for their dedication to the NHS, and in particular to our hospitals for the past 25 years

“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."

 

 Local media coverage from November 2000 — marking the nurses' arrival in Peterborough

 

Lynie’s Story 

Inocencia Gazo – affectionately known as "Lynie" – was among the first nurses to arrive from Philippines, leaving behind her husband and son before they were able to join her after a year.

She began working on Ward 2Y of the then Peterborough District Hospital as a staff nurse, before being promoted to senior staff nurse and then onto the Chemotherapy Day Unit (as a trained chemo nurse).

Lynie (pictured) recently retired from the Unit and her post as Deputy Sister. She said: “Before coming to the UK I has vast nursing experience in different areas. When I qualified from my nursing degree in 1980, I worked as a staff nurse – three years of which was in the Philippines and 15 years across the Middle East, mostly at management level. I left my husband and our young son behind, which was tough to begin with.

“Our group of nurses received a warm and kind welcome by the Trust which we really appreciated; a sumptuous meal, a partial advance pay, fully prepped flat accommodation with initial groceries to start with and even a card phone to use initially to call our loved ones back home.

“I found the community in Peterborough very polite and friendly, a safe and secure place to live and so I decided to stay and bring my family permanently to Peterborough until we became British citizens.”

 

Marlet’s story

Not only did November 2000 mark the start of a new career for Marlet Elefante, but it also saw the beginning of a love story – as she met her husband Richard in the same group of nurses arriving in Peterborough!

Having worked for two years in Critical Care in the Philippines and a year in an Emergency Department, Marlet (pictured) hadn’t initially planned on working abroad but found herself taking the Screening Exam while she was waiting for a close friend who was submitting documents for a Nursing job in the UK. 

She said: “I came to accompany her, but I ended up leaving for the UK before she did!”

Marlet continues to work in Critical Care, but in 2017 briefly relocated to the US after securing a nursing position in Texas.

Family circumstances forced Marlet to return to Peterborough with her daughters. She said: “The decision was also not easy as my husband decided to stay in the US as he was studying for the Nursing Exam and was keen to find a job there. He currently still works in the US as an ED Nurse but visits us as often as he can.”

Retchel’s story

Another of the first nurses to arrive in Peterborough was Retchel Serofia – now a well-known and respected deputy sister and professional nurse advocate at Hinchingbrooke Hospital’s General Outpatients Department.

After responding to a recruitment appeal in August 2000 – and with experience in a range of senior nursing roles in the

Phil ippines Saudi Arabia to her credit – she left her mother and seven siblings to start a new career and life in the UK. 

She had already completed a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at Central Philippine University, the first nursing school in the Philippines, and then volunteered for three months at a government hospital to gain experience.

On arrival, Retch el (pictured) began a rigorous three-month adaptation course at the then Homerton College of Nursing in Peterborough - balancing work, coursework, alongside completing competencies– before moving to Ward1Z after her Nursing and Midwifery Council registration.

She said: “The recruitment team was fantastic - anticipating our needs on arrival and providing rented accommodation that was only exclusive to us Filipino nurses.”

Since then, Retchel has experienced several roles at Peterborough before transferring to Hinchingbrooke – where she worked on a care for the elderly ward for 12 years, learning new skills in the field of caring for dementia patients, before moving to General Outpatients.

She said: “The decision I made 25 years ago is one of the best decisions I have ever made. I came abroad not only for myself but also to help my family. I want to thank North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust for giving me this opportunity. I enjoy my role and the fantastic team I work with.”

 

Pic cap: Celebrating 25 years of working in Peterborough (back row) Joan Unay (B5), Angelo Cuenca (Oncology) and Mary Portugal (CCU).

Front row Joanna Babaran (B7), Lynie Gazo (retired), Marlet Elefante (CCU) and Rosalyn Vilar (CCU)