Q&A with Sara Miles: Leading the Helpforce Refugee Volunteer to Career Programme
3rd December 2025
Sara Miles, Helpforce Programme Manager, shares insights on how the charity’s Refugee Volunteer to Career programme is breaking down barriers for refugees seeking healthcare careers in the UK.
Sara, can you tell us about the Refugee Volunteer to Career Programme?
Absolutely. This is a pioneering initiative designed to help refugees overcome the many hurdles they face when trying to find employment in the UK healthcare sector. Thanks to the generous support of the Rayne Foundation, we’re working with five NHS trusts to create tailored support plans. These plans help refugees build achievable pathways into work or training in healthcare, combining volunteering opportunities with practical support like CV workshops and interview practice.
Why focus specifically on refugees?
There are around 448,600 refugees across the UK, many with medical backgrounds or a strong interest in healthcare careers. Yet, they face significant barriers to employment. We saw this first-hand during our earlier Volunteer to Career programme, where some migrant participants struggled to navigate the NHS system.
How long does the programme run, and what are your main priorities?
The project is planned for 18 months. The first 12 months focus on working closely with partners and refugees to understand their needs and barriers. We then develop personalised pathways that might include volunteering, employment preparation workshops, and skills development. Volunteering is a key part—it helps refugees test the healthcare environment, build confidence, improve their English, and reduce social isolation. Ultimately, we want to help them make informed decisions about their career paths.
Some NHS Trusts worry about employing refugees due to concerns about their immigration status. Can you clarify this?
Once someone has refugee status or another form of protected leave, they have the right to work in the UK just like any UK national. The challenge sometimes lies in meeting employment check documentation requirements. NHS employers have a frequently asked questions web page which provides more information on how to appoint refugees if they cannot display all the documents as required in the employment check standards.
It’s important to note that asylum seekers generally cannot work, except under very specific conditions, but they can volunteer, which is a valuable way to gain experience and integrate.
Which NHS Trusts are involved in this pilot?
We’re proud to be working with five forward-thinking NHS Trusts:
- Royal United Hospitals Bath
- Kingston & Richmond
- Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
- Liverpool Women’s
- Cheshire & Wirral Partnership.
Each is passionate about supporting refugees and keen to learn how best to recruit and support refugee volunteers.
Can other organisations join the programme?
At this stage, we’re focusing on these five trusts and aren’t taking on new organisations. If you want to speak to us about how your organisation could support refugees, then get in touch at help@helpforce.community.
We encourage everyone interested to follow our social media channels (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and X) and sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay updated on this exciting work.
This Q&A highlights how we are working alongside refugees and NHS partners to open doors and build careers in healthcare. It’s a journey of partnership, learning, and transformation—and we’re excited to share more as the programme grows.