Ghada shares her story from Lebanon to a Registered Nurse at UHDB for International Nurses Day
A UHDB nurse who arrived in the UK just over 12 months ago as a Palestinian refugee from Lebanon has spoken of her pride after she recently qualified as a Registered Nurse.
Ghada El Ayoub arrived at the Trust in March 2022 alongside four other refugee nurses from Palestine who had all previously been working in healthcare in Lebanon, and has since gone on to complete her training in the UK - becoming the first of her cohort to do so.
Now working in a substantive post on the Ward 208 stepdown unit at Royal Derby Hospital, Ghada has shared her inspirational story for International Nurses Day 2023 (12 May) as the world comes together to celebrate and honour the vital contributions of nurses in delivering care to patients and communities.
"I just knew I wanted to help others"
Ghada El Ayoub is a third-generation refugee, with her grandparents first becoming refugees in 1948, leaving Palestine by foot - walking all the way to Lebanon to start their new life. Ghada and her parents were all born in Lebanon - with Ghada being born in the city of Saida (also known as Sidon), south of the capital Beirut, in 1999.
Ghada lived alongside many other Lebanese and Palestinian refugees, and while she found a sense of community there, she was not able to pursue certain careers, nor was she or her family allowed to own a property, due to their refugee status - making everyday life significantly challenging. Despite this, Ghada excelled in school and began her path to working in healthcare.
Ghada explained: "My family were keen for me to achieve something, saying I should be a doctor - but we all knew that due to being a refugee, I wouldn't be able to open my own clinic or become a fully qualified, independent doctor here. I just knew I wanted to help others.
"However, I saw that the American University of Beirut had a scholarship available that I could enrol on, with a Nursing major. I got the grades to take part, and when I started, I fell in love with the work. After I graduated, I started working at a hospital in Saida for over a year.
"During that time, the pandemic and an economic crisis had a big effect on healthcare in Lebanon, and at that stage I felt it was time to try my best to find work outside of the country."
Ghada's journey to the UK
The same agency that provided Ghada's scholarship gave her some information about opportunities abroad - and since Ghada had learnt English from a young age, she was keen on the UK. The agency then provided details for UHDB's Refugee Support Programme and Ghada knew this was the right choice for her:
"I was asked which cities I'd like to go to after I decided to move away. Of course, a lot of people might say London, but I felt there was a chance I could be overwhelmed by the business and size of the city, so I wanted to go somewhere smaller where I could take things slowly.
"UHDB really appealed to me - Royal Derby Hospital, where I knew I'd be based, is right in the middle of England, so I could explore the country, and Derbyshire is very beautiful."
The Programme, part of a national scheme spearheaded by NHSE/I, provides qualified healthcare workers living in refugee camps in Lebanon the opportunity to embark on a career within the NHS, providing holistic support to help them adapt to life in the UK, as well as seeking to help bring their families here too to help them start a new life.
In late March 2022, she made the difficult decision to leave Lebanon and her family behind, enrolling in the Programme alongside four other Palestinian refugees who had also been working primarily in Lebanese refugee camps.
They started an initial training course at Liverpool's John Moores University, in order to practice in the UK and bring their skills to the NHS. Soon after, the cohort then came to UHDB to begin working clinically as Healthcare Support Workers, alongside their training to become fully registered nurses.
Feeling like "part of the family" at UHDB
With her family thousands of miles away, the change presented a huge sacrifice to Ghada - especially as her move took place during the Islamic Holy Month of Ramadan, one of the most important times of the year for her faith. However, Ghada was determined that she could continue to provide care for others, no matter where they were.
The Refugee Support Programme was instrumental in helping Ghada during this challenging period, supporting her both in and outside of work.
Ghada said: "Initially, I felt quite shy and missed my family and friends. As well as that, a new environment and a new role at the same time was very challenging - as I had not worked as a HSW before. Royal Derby Hospital is a massive place to work and is more modern than where I've been before.
"Over time, with the Programme's support, I feel like I've opened up and blossomed in this environment, and I really feel part of the community. They didn't have to help me with settling into UK life outside the hospital, but they did - and I am very grateful.
"UHDB also gives you lots of people to talk to, including the International Nurse Facilitator at the time, Aldarico Velasco, and Philippa within the Programme team. As well as that, I've connected with colleagues and friends who share my faith and I've found the community here so helpful too. I'm really starting to feel much more at home, however much I miss my family.
"You just feel like you're part of the family here, I have felt so welcomed."
Ghada on becoming a fully qualified nurse
In March 2023, Ghada passed her Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), which involved an English language exam and extensive theoretical and practical nursing exams, requiring a huge level of commitment and hard work. Upon passing, Ghada became a fully qualified Registered Nurse with the NMC and the first of her cohort to do so.
Ghada spoke of her "relief" of passing her exams, and urged others colleagues from around the world who are considering nursing in a foreign country to follow her path:
"I'm back to the work I'm best at and enjoy the most - delivering care to patients. I felt such happiness when I got the news, it was amazing. I celebrated by going out for a burger!"
"It might feel hard to do all this and sacrifice so much but it's the best decision I've made. I feel like I've achieved so much and come so far - and I'm so proud to be here."
Executive Chief Nurse at UHDB, Garry Marsh, praised Ghada for her amazing journey, saying:
"I'd like to congratulate Ghada for qualifying as a Registered Nurse, despite facing incredibly challenging circumstances. For her to sacrifice so much, to give so much to others, is truly an inspiration to us all.
"Ghada is a perfect example of the brilliance we have amongst our nursing colleagues here at UHDB, who have come from near and far to invest their valuable time, and careers, into providing exceptional care to patients and our communities.
"This goes to show the incredible work that our Refugee Support Programme, and other recruitment initiatives across the Trust, does to find the incredible talent that makes our organisation what it is - no matter where in the world that might be. Today, on International Nurses Day 2023, I am delighted to be able to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for the invaluable contribution that our nursing colleagues make here at UHDB, and across the NHS."
You can read more about the Refugee Support Programme here >
You can also watch a video we published last year below, where we spoke to some of Ghada's colleagues from the Refugee Support Programme: