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It was the day that Russian forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Inna lost the life she had spent decades building – her career as a rheumatology consultant, her home, and her sense of security.
Three years later, with the war still continuing in Ukraine, and bombs still exploding in Kharkiv, he returned to practice as a doctor in London and helped other refugee health workers find work in England.
“Before the war, I thought I had achieved everything I wanted,” he said. “I had a career, a family, a home. There was never a thought of leaving.”
A small car that carried Inna, her two daughters, her parents and some of her belongings across Europe.
Inna’s story traces the journey of one of 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 skilled refugees are given the opportunity to contribute.
Escape the war with help
When the war broke out, and as 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 few 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 it,” he said of the volunteers who chose to help. “Like part of the family.”
After traveling through Bulgaria and reuniting with friends she met years earlier in London, Inna arrived in the UK in May 2022 through the Homes for Ukrainians scheme, a community-based initiative that allows people across the UK to sponsor Ukrainians fleeing the war by offering them safe accommodation and the chance to rebuild their lives.
Residents assess damage to buildings in Kupiansk, in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. (file photo)
Starting from scratch, one step at a time
Like many people forced to flee to other countries, Inna faced barriers to returning to the profession, including language barriers and lack of recognition of her qualifications.
He started an administrative role at the Lewisham and Greenwich Trust of the UK National Health Service, NHS, in south east London.
His colleagues in the NHS became what he called his ‘working family’. They helped with his English, built his confidence and encouraged him to take the exams required to practice as a doctor in the UK.
“They believed in me more than I believed in myself,” he said.
He passed all the necessary exams and returned to rheumatology, his chosen specialty, once again providing direct care to patients.
Of the more than 260,000 Ukrainians who have arrived in the UK since the invasion, more than 60,000 now work in various sectors of the economy.
Building a network for refugee health workers
Inna’s journey didn’t stop there. Working alongside other refugee healthcare professionals, he helped establish the Ukrainian Medical Charity, a national network supporting refugee doctors, nurses and health workers to access NHS employment opportunities.
Her advocacy also helped establish the NHS Refugee Employment Programme, which helps refugees from diverse backgrounds to take part in the UK’s health service.
“Refugees want to make a contribution to this country, and we have an obligation to welcome them too,” said Kathleen, a clinical nurse specialist in rheumatology and Inna’s colleague.
These days, Inna balances work and family life in London “like a normal person”, she says. What impressed him most was what he experienced in different countries, new environments, and hospital corridors: the power of welcome.
“When you are forced to evacuate, it’s like your roots are uprooted,” said Inna. “The NHS and the people around me helped me grow new plants. Stability, kindness, changed everything – like sunshine in your garden.”
