It was the day Russian forces launched their full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Inna lost the life she had built over decades: her career as a consultant rheumatologist, her home and her sense of security.
Three years later, as the war rages on in Ukraine and bombs still go off in Kharkiv, she is back practicing medicine in London and helping other refugee healthcare workers find their place in the UK.
“Before the war, I thought I had achieved everything I wanted,” he said. “I had my career, my family, my home. I never thought about leaving.”
The small car that took Inna, her two daughters, her parents and her few belongings throughout Europe.
Inna’s story tells the journey of one of the more than 260,000 Ukrainians who found safety in the UK after the invasion, a journey marked by loss, resilience and the transformative power of welcome.
It also highlights what happens when qualified refugees are given the opportunity to contribute.
Escape from war with help
When the war broke out and the fighting intensified and the buildings around them were destroyed, Inna and her family (her two daughters, her parents and her cat) fled Kharkiv with only a few documents and belongings, thinking that they would return home in a couple of days.
Driving for more than 26 hours through Ukraine, Moldova and Romania, the family was greeted by strangers who shared food, safety and kindness.
“I still remember them,” he said of the volunteers who decided to help. “As part of the family.”
After traveling through Bulgaria and reconnecting with friends she had met years earlier in London, Inna arrived in the UK in May 2022 through the Homes for Ukraine programme, a community-led initiative that allows people across the UK to sponsor Ukrainians fleeing war, offering them safe accommodation and the chance to rebuild their lives.
Residents assess damage to buildings in Kupiansk, Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. (file photo)
Start over, one step at a time
Like many people forced to flee to another country, Inna faced obstacles to returning to her profession, including language problems and the lack of recognition of her qualifications.
He began in an administrative role at the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) Lewisham and Greenwich Trust in south-east London.
Her NHS colleagues became what she calls her “work family”. They helped her with her English, gave her confidence and encouraged her to take the necessary exams to practice as a doctor in the UK.
“They believed in me a lot more than I believed in myself,” she said.
He passed all required exams and returned to rheumatology, his chosen specialty, providing direct patient care once again.
Of the more than 260,000 Ukrainians who have arrived in the UK since the invasion, more than 60,000 are now employed in different sectors of the economy.
Building a network for refugee health workers
Inna’s journey did not end there. Working alongside other displaced healthcare professionals, she helped establish the Ukrainian Medical Charity, a national network supporting refugee doctors, nurses and healthcare workers to access employment opportunities in the NHS.
Her advocacy has also helped shape the NHS Refugee Employment Programme, which helps refugees from diverse backgrounds into roles across the UK health service.
“Refugees want to contribute to this country and we have a duty to welcome them too,” said Kathleen, a rheumatology clinical nurse specialist and Inna’s colleague.
Today, Inna balances work and family life in London “like a normal person,” she says. What she remembers most is what she experienced in different countries, new neighborhoods and hospital hallways: the power of welcome.
“When they force you to flee, it’s like they cut your roots,” says Inna. “The NHS and the people around me helped me cultivate new ones. That stability, that kindness, it changes everything, like sunlight in your garden.”