Ukrainian Doctor Rebuilds Career, Helps Refugees in UK NHS

When Dr. Inna Soldatenko woke to explosions on February 24, 2022, everything she'd built over decades vanished in an instant. Her thriving rheumatology practice, her home in Kharkiv, and her sense of security disappeared as Russian forces invaded Ukraine.

She packed her two daughters, her parents, and their cat into a small car with just a few documents and belongings. The 26-hour drive through Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania was sustained by strangers offering food, shelter, and kindness along the way.

"I still remember them," Inna says of the volunteers who helped. "Like part of the family."

She arrived in the UK in May 2022 through the Homes for Ukraine scheme, which connects refugees with British sponsors offering accommodation. But returning to medicine meant starting over completely.

Like many skilled refugees, Inna faced language barriers and credential recognition challenges. She began in an administrative role at an NHS hospital in southeast London, where her colleagues became what she calls her "work family."

They helped her improve her English, built her confidence, and encouraged her to take the exams required to practice as a doctor in the UK. "They believed in me much more than I believed in myself," she says.

She passed every exam and returned to treating patients as a consultant rheumatologist. But Inna saw an opportunity to multiply her own second chance.

The Ripple Effect

Working with other displaced healthcare professionals, Inna helped establish the Ukrainian Medical Charity. The national network now supports refugee doctors, nurses, and health workers navigating the path to NHS employment.

Her advocacy has shaped the NHS Refugee Employment Programme, which assists refugees from many backgrounds into healthcare roles across the UK. Of the more than 260,000 Ukrainians who've arrived since the invasion, over 60,000 now work across different sectors of the British economy.

Kathleen, a rheumatology nurse and Inna's colleague, puts it simply: "Refugees want to give back to this country, and we have a duty to welcome them as well."

Today, Inna balances work and family life in London, living what she calls an "ordinary" existence. What she values most is the kindness that made it possible.

"When you're forced to flee, it's like your roots are cut," she explains. "The NHS and the people around me helped me grow new ones."