The Nurse from the Philippines Blown in by a Typhoon
Junirose Gazzingan on her 25 years of service at Ealing Hospital
Junirose Gazzingan
December 22, 2025
She flew in on the back of a typhoon but nurse Junirose Gazzingan is still working in the same London hospital 25 years after first arriving in the UK.
Junirose was as one of the first Filipinos to arrive as part of an overseas recruitment drive by the NHS in the early noughties.
“We took off from Manila in a typhoon and 14 hours later found ourselves standing outside Ealing Hospital.”
Husband Julius, a policeman, was left hold their one-year-old baby while his 25-year-old wife sought a better life for them on the other side of the world.
“I didn’t have a mobile phone so had to put a call in three times a week until they joined me a year later.
“A group of us shared a big house in Southall. It was two to a room as well as having to figure out how to use appliances like a vacuum cleaner and microwave which we had never used.
“Southall was a good place for us as we could find a lot of Asian food there that suited us. We could all speak English but pronunciation could be a bit tricky.
“I wasn’t a big fan of reading the patient menu out as matron would periodically call me over and correct me. The words ‘butter’ and ‘margarine’ were particularly tricky!”
Nineteen of the original 56 nurses who arrived in Ealing still work at the hospital with another at Northwick Park.
“We've grown up with Ealing and spent most of our adult lives here. I started on Five North and returned to the ward as a matron several years ago. It felt like coming home.”
Junirose hoped one of her four children might follow her into nursing but decided otherwise seeing how hard their mother worked.
“It is a tough job but knowing you have touched people's lives for the better in some small way is still rewarding. I'm still proud to be called a nurse.
“Filipinos have a lot to offer and I would like to see more of my colleagues in senior positions but appreciate it isn't for everyone.
“I personally enjoy chatting with patients and relatives and would miss that. It isn't always a bed of roses but I get a lot of satisfaction from problem solving and winning people over.”
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