Published: 14 July, 2023

An Afghan refugee has been presented with a Rising Star Award for being an inspirational member of staff.

Nabila Noori was recognised at The Greater Manchester Health and Care Champion Awards 2023 for her invaluable contribution to supporting refugees who are part of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Programme.

Nabila, gtd healthcare’s Specialist Services care co-ordinator, was commended for being an advocate for refugees and asylum seekers who cannot speak English, and supporting them to access the necessary services and resources across Manchester and Trafford.

Nabila is not only new to the profession but has demonstrated huge potential and was recognised for her unique journey.

David Beckett, chief executive, said the award was very fitting.

"It was fantastic for Nabila to be shortlisted, but to be named Rising Star is a huge accomplishment," he said.

“Nabila has been supporting the people of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Programme since she first arrived in the UK and is an outstanding representative for what we aim to achieve here at gtd healthcare.

“The awards are a great opportunity to celebrate and showcase the talent in Greater Manchester’s health and care sector. It is an incredible achievement that a member of our workforce has received this accolade and been acknowledged as having the potential to go far.”

Nabila, who attended the ceremony with her family and operations manager Beth Mitchell, said she was honoured to have won the award.

“This recognition means so much to me and I will be forever grateful for all of the support I continue to receive,” she said.

“The evening itself was rewarding and I enjoyed hearing about the amazing work happening all over Greater Manchester.

“My journey started as an Afghan refugee housed in one of Afghan Relocation and Assistance Programme hotels, which gtd healthcare operates, and I was later recruited as an employee in the Specialist Services team to assist asylum seekers with their healthcare needs.”

While the programme has healthcare professionals on-site to assist with any medical issues that the new arrivals might be experiencing, communication can be challenging due to the language barrier.

gtd healthcare’s specialist services team noticed that Nabila spoke fluent English so asked if she would be willing to assist with translation and has been supporting the team and service users to navigate the NHS system ever since.

Nabila added: “Leaving everything behind and immigrating to the UK with my family was the hardest thing I have ever experienced in my life. We have been through a lot of hardships and stress over the past 20 months but working for gtd healthcare has given me a chance to improve my skills. It brings me joy to work and help people in any possible way.”

Mandy Curran, senior operations manager, expressed her and the team's pride in Nabila.

"I had tears of joy when the winner was announced because there isn't another who deserves the recognition more than Nabila - well done," she said.

"I'd like to thank Beth Mitchell who has been a huge help to her team and a great manager as well; she always sees the good in people."

The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Programme offers relocation or other assistance to former locally employed staff in Afghanistan following evacuations. The Afghan people are housed in hotels until more stable arrangements are made.

The awards received more than 530 nominations from across Greater Manchester, 15 of which were for gtd healthcare employees.