Refugee nurses boost NHS workforce
By Gemma Raw
Nurses from Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon are the latest recruits to join the NHS under the Refugee Nurse Support Programme.
Eleven NHS trusts are involved in the most recent phase of the pilot scheme, created in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), RefuAid and Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB). The initiative was originally launched in the North West, but has now been rolled out to the whole of England.
How does the scheme work?
The scheme supports refugees who are qualified as nurses in their home countries to resume their nursing careers in the NHS. A four-week intensive induction programme supports them in adjusting to working in the NHS and helps them gather the required evidence to take up nursing jobs at levels that match their qualifications and experience. Until they become registered nurses, they're able to work in healthcare support roles.
For participants in the scheme to become fully registered nurses, they have to meet all elements of the NMC nursing registration process, including passing NMC CBT and OBSE assessments.
Recruitment of overseas nurses is a key strategy in tackling the current workforce shortage. Data from NHS England and NHS Improvement showed that there were almost 39,000 nurse vacancies as of 31 March 2022.
"The NHS is supported by recruiting some exceptional skilled nurses who use their own lived experience to deliver compassionate patient care," said Steven Colfar, NHS England's Director of Nursing and AHP Workforce for the North West and lead for the Refugee Nurse Support Programme. "In turn we have the privilege to support them not just with a new job, but an opportunity for a new life."
Nursing support roles
Refugee nurses in the latest cohort who came to the UK in March have already started work at the Royal London Hospital and the Royal Derby Hospital in nursing support roles.
At the Royal London, a group of refugee nurses have taken on roles as senior healthcare support workers in the ICU. When they register with the NMC, they'll be able to practise as staff nurses. The refugees all arrived from Lebanon and are originally from Palestine.
The four recruits at the Royal Derby were all working as nurses in Lebanese refugee camps, often in very challenging conditions. Having completed the induction programme at LJMU and further training at Florence Nightingale Community Hospital, they've begun working on wards as healthcare support workers. Once they achieve registration with the NMC, they'll be offered permanent, full-time nursing jobs within the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Trust.
Anyone interested in joining the Refugee Nurse Support Programme can apply here.
Recruitment of overseas nurses is a key strategy in tackling the current workforce shortage. Data from NHS England and NHS Improvement showed that there were almost 39,000 nurse vacancies as of 31 March 2022. At Sanctuary, we have helped many overseas nurses make the journey to the UK for work.
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