Drs Abdul Hameed Latifi and Julia Sinclair

A project to help refugee doctors gain practical experience of working in the NHS, while studying for General Medical Council registration, has won a top prize in the Thames Valley Healthcare Awards.

The project, “Inclusion of Refugee Doctors in an assistant role”, won first prize for the Working Smarter – Improvements in the NHS Workplace category.

It has been developed at Oxfordshire Mental Healthcare Trust by Dr Julia Sinclair, Vikki Bartlet, Medical Staffing Manager, Dr Abdul Hameed Latifi Doctors’ Assistant, Dr Abdul Waheed Latifi Doctors’ Assistant, and Mike Marvin Chief Pharmacist.

Many refugee doctors live in the Thames Valley region and seek clinical work whilst studying for the examinations required for registration.

In May 2004 Oxfordshire Mental Healthcare NHS Trust created two “Doctors’ Assistant” posts to perform clinical investigations, such as blood tests.

The care psychiatric inpatients receive can be affected by staff changes, and the skill and continuity offered by the Doctors’ Assistants has been highly valued.

Junior doctors have also welcomed the new posts, with 93% saying in survey that their workload had been significantly reduced, enabling them to spend more time providing one-to-one care.

Honorary consultant psychiatrist Dr Julia Sinclair said: “The Doctors’ Assistants have made an impact at both a personal and institutional level within the Trust, beyond what we anticipated when we devised these posts.

“They bring with them a wealth of experience and are an important positive image for refugees in this country.”

Once the refugee doctors have completed their GMC registration, they can use the knowledge they have already gained to start providing high-quality care as registered doctors to NHS patients.

Dr Abdul Hameed Latifi, who has now been offered a junior doctor post, said: “By working at Littlemore Mental Health Centre I have had access to the hospital library, which has helped me pass my exams. I have also been able to help with research, which is something else for my CV.”

The awards ceremony, ‘Celebrating Success’ was organised by Thames Valley Stragic Health Authority to highlight innovative and patient-centred initiatives and projects which are carried out on a day-to-day basis by staff who work in the NHS in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.