Lord Mayor welcomes first cohort of international medics being supported to practise in Belfast

Belfast City Council is supporting 11 experienced international doctors to become registered and licenced to practise in the city, through an English Language Support Academy for Medics – the first of its

kind in Northern Ireland.

Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Micky Murray, recently hosted a welcome reception for the first cohort of medical professionals to receive support from the new programme. They include an orthopaedic

surgeon, emergency medical doctors, gynaecologists, GPs and paediatricians, all keen to re-establish their careers in their new home city.

Funded by the Belfast Labour Market Partnership and Belfast City Council, the dedicated academy is providing a learning network, helping doctors who have been practising abroad to re-qualify to UK standards, as specified by the General Medical Council (GMC).

As well as helping the medics navigate registering and verifying their qualifications, the English Language Support Academy for Medics is providing support to prepare for an advanced English Language test and medical exams with the Professional Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB). This makes sure doctors have the right knowledge and skills to practise medicine in the UK.

HR and medical professionals from organisations such as Health and Social Care NI (HSCNI), Belfast Trust, the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency, NI Practice and Education Council

for Nursing and Midwifery and the Department of Health (International Recruitment) are all giving their time to provide careers advice and support with interview preparation and job searches to help move

doctors into work. Queen’s University Belfast and REACHE Project, Manchester are also providing pro-bono support to help the international professionals complete their medical (PLAB) exams.

Councillor Murray said: “This new initiative reflects our City of Sanctuary status and is in keeping with the focus of my year in office, helping to make Belfast a more welcoming, inclusive and

compassionate city.

“On behalf of the council, I would like to thank our partners for their generous pro-bono support, especially Queen’s University Belfast, REACHE Project, Manchester and personnel from various other

healthcare agencies, for their time in helping with job searches and careers advice, as well as Belfast Trust for providing clinical placements.

“I hope these talented medical professionals feel well supported and welcomed as they study and work to become much-needed members of Belfast’s healthcare workforce. I would also like to extend my

gratitude to Belfast Met and Klik2learn who are drawing on their expertise to deliver this invaluable course.”

“The medical school at Queen’s University Belfast is delighted to support this Belfast City Council initiative,” said Neil Kennedy, Deputy Head of School with School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Science at Queen’s University.

“We have provided these colleagues with access to teaching resources and support to help them prepare for their licensing exams (PLAB). This support demonstrates our university’s commitment to becoming a University of Sanctuary.”

The English Language Support Academy for Medics is part of a wide range of employment academies offered by Belfast City Council. To find out more about employability and skills support available to

residents, visit www.belfastcity.gov.uk/employability