Health
Employability Forum is a strategic partner of the Refugee Healthcare Professionals Programme. We provide links to our London Hub for Refugee Teachers and share experience and knowledge about managing hubs. Most recently this has been demonstrated through the joint development of shared tracking and monitoring systems (databases) for the two London partnerships.
The Refugee Healthcare Professionals Programme aims to take a co-ordinated and integrated approach to the delivery of services to support refugee healthcare professionals back into employment. The Refugee Healthcare Professionals Programme is made up of: Building Bridges London, Building Bridges West Midlands, REACHE North West and Refugee Health Professionals North East.
A national information and signposting service is provided by REACHE North West as part of the ARRIVE project, which is funded by the European Refugee Fund Phase III with match funding from the Home Office and Strategic Health Authorities.
Please call or email for further information. Telephone: 0845 6800 492; Email: reache@manchester.ac.uk
In London, information, advice and guidance is provided by RAGU (Refugee Assessment and Guidance Unit) as part of Building Bridges, which is funded by NHS London. It is complemented by a range of services including advanced language provision, job-search and job brokerage and supported work-placements. For information, advice and guidance please contact: Tel: 020 7133 2110 (9am – 5pm) Email: ragu@londonmet.ac.uk
Building Bridges West Midlands is a partnership consisting of providers of training for Refugee Healthcare Professionals, employers and RCOs. There are several projects currently running. Birmingham City University offers a Pre-adaptation Programme for Refugee Healthcare Professionals, which combines English for Health Professionals with two university modules, one on the health service, the other on studying in Higher Education Institutes. There is also an emphasis on careers and personal development planning. Heart of Birmingham (HoB) Primary Care Trust is offering 10 paid placements in conjunction with the Pre-adaptation Programme as part of its Midlands Health Academy (MHA) work. The aim is to work in partnership with training providers to ensure a suitably skilled workforce. A second project recruits refugees into the health workforce, which will be delivered by Arc in partnership with HoB/MHA. This project provides ESOL and careers guidance. For further information please contact Claire Blevins on 0121 465 4832 or Claire.Blevins@hobtpct.nhs.uk or Birmingham City University on 0121 331 7009 or jenny.peacock@bcu.ac.uk.
Reache (Refugee and Asylum Seeker Centre for Healthcare Professionals Education) North West is based in a hospital, Salford Royal Foundation NHS Trust in the North West of England. It provides a comprehensive education service taking students from having no English to making them ‘Job Ready’ for the NHS. It supports doctors, dentists, nurses, pharmacists and other Allied Health Professionals. It employs a full time language and communication skills teacher with additional IELTS teaching in small groups and also tutors with a nursing, general practice or hospital consultant background It helps with CV preparation and interview skills. Specific teaching is organised for IELTS and PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 and assists members in obtaining clinical attachments and placements so they can observe UK clinical practice.
Reache North West also runs a clinical apprenticeship scheme which is now part of the ARRIVE project. Reache North West is funded by the local Strategic Health Authority, NHS North West, and local Hospital and Primary Care Trusts support the work. Please contact Reache@manchester.ac.uk or tel: 0161 206 4201.
Refugee Health Professionals North East supports refugee and asylum seeking health professionals living in the North East of England to integrate into the NHS. They provide practical and emotional support, group meetings, workshops, specialist advice and guidance, study support, exam and travel costs, help with job applications and interviews and regular social activities. For further details about Refugee Health Professionals North East, please contact: Wendy Pearson, NHS North East Workforce Team, Tel: 0191 3332849, E-mail: Wendy.Pearson@cddft.nhs.uk
For further information about the Refugee Healthcare Professionals Programme contact NHS Employers:
Tel: 020 7074 3354; Email: refugeeemployment@nhsemployers.org; www.rose.nhs.uk