Heartbeat: Unique refugee project vying for top gong

May 13, 2019

An innovative project to attract medically qualified refugees back into healthcare roles has been shortlisted for a prestigious award.

The Health Overseas Professionals (HOP) programme is run by the Learning Works. It provides training in the English language for refugees to find a way to resume their medical careers, whilst putting much needed resource back into the local NHS.

Now the Learning Works team has been shortlisted for the Mills & Reeve most effective use of diversity gong in the Healthcare People Management Association (HPMA) Excellence Awards.

Raffaela Goodby, Director of People and Organisation Development, said: “We are really pleased to be shortlisted for such a prestigious award.

“The programme follows the successes of the USE-IT! project, which is a similar skills matching programme in Sandwell and West Birmingham which was piloted at our Trust. It enables refugees looking to return to work within the healthcare field to do so with the right support.

“Since introducing USE-IT! and the HOP programme, we have successfully matched more than 200 people into healthcare roles across the area. Examples include GPs, nurses, pharmacists and even highly trained medical and surgical consultants.”

The winner will be announced at a ceremony in Manchester on 6 June.