Advice for refugee doctors and dentists

In order to work as a doctor in the UK, you need to be registered with the General Medical Council (GMC).

WARD support for refugee doctors and dentists

The Wales Asylum Seeking and Refugee Doctors and Dentists (WARD) group ensures the right education and training is available for overseas health professionals to rebuild their career in the UK.

WARD helps refugee doctors and dentists gain General Medical Council’s (GMC) registration. This is done through weekly tuition and financial support towards the following language exams.

To date, 300+ healthcare professionals (255 doctors and dentists) have benefited from the project. Below is what some of them had to say about WARD.

Get in touch

If you or anyone you know could benefit from WARD support, for information about the project and the support provided, or if you would like to get involved, please contact: HEIW.professionalsupport@wales.nhs.uk or Sam Allen at Displaced People in Action (DPIA) via sam@dpia.org.uk.

Other Sources of help:

Resource	Type of support offered
International Medical Graduate (IMG)	Provides advice on registration, English speaking exams, PLAB clinical exams and more.
British Medical Association (BMA) charities supporting doctors financially	BMA Charities help all doctors and medical students in times of financial need. It works independently of the BMA.
The BMA’s Refugee Doctor Initiative	A free package of benefits is available to apply for if you are working towards GMC registration
NHS careers website for healthcare professionals	Information for overseas qualified UK and European Economic Area (EEA) and non-EEA healthcare professionals about registrations and immigration.
NHS careers website for doctors specifically	Information about becoming a doctor in the UK.
Support for refugee surgeons	The Royal College of Surgeons of England offers support to refugee surgeons and surgical trainees to help them into the NHS.
Support for refugees with experience in obstetrics and gynaecology	The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists offers support to refugee doctors with experience in this area.
British Medical Association (BMA)	More information for refugee doctors wanting to re-qualify in the UK.
CARA’s UK programme	The Council for At-Risk Academics (CARA) supports healthcare professionals who now live in the UK as asylum seekers, refugees, and international students. It helps get you back into study or a related profession at a level that matches your qualification and experience.