The 2026 Health Service Group conference of UK public union UNISON (13-15 April, Edinburgh), representing over 400,000 NHS and other health workers across the UK, passed the following motion proposed by Ulster Community and Hospitals Trust UNISON.

We look forward to working with UNISON Health activists and the UNISON Members for Ukraine network to implement and build on this policy in the months ahead.

(UNISON also has strong policy in support of Ukraine’s struggle and has been affiliated to Ukraine Solidarity Campaign since June 2024.)

Recognition of the contribution of Ukrainian refugees in UK health & social care — and call for secure status beyond the war

Conference notes:

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, around 227,000 people have come to the UK under the “Homes for Ukraine” scheme or the (now-closed) “Ukraine Family Scheme.” At the same time, estimates indicate a significant rise in the UK’s Ukrainian-born population — from some 41,000 before 2022 to around 217,000 by 2024.

Many of these people have been able to work — including in health and social care — under their visa/permission schemes. Our NHS and social care services across all four UK nations remain under intense pressure — staff shortages, overstretched services, long waiting lists, and increasing demand.

Ukrainian refugees — many of them skilled, experienced or willing to work hard — have become part of that workforce, contributing vital labour at a time of crisis in health and social care provision.

The presence of Ukrainian refugees in the health and social care workforce not only supports service delivery, but also helps fill gaps in roles that have been chronically understaffed.

Many Ukrainian people came to the UK under temporary permission schemes tied to war and displacement —schemes which may not guarantee long-term security once the war ends or political circumstances change.

For those who have committed to working in UK health and social care — often in demanding or frontline roles — ongoing uncertainty about their immigration status is deeply destabilising, both personally and for service delivery continuity. It would be a betrayal of their contribution, and of the values of fairness, solidarity and decent work that UNISON stands for, if these workers were forced to leave or live under prolonged insecure status once the immediate war emergency ends.

Conference believes that:

Ukrainian refugees who have worked in UK health and social care, and who wish to continue doing so, deserve secure and stable immigration status — recognising their contributions and enabling long-term planning for themselves, their families, and for the services they support. It is in the interests of both the workers and the communities who rely on health and social care that experienced and committed staff are not lost because of insecure immigration status or forced returns.

UNISON should stand by the principle of solidarity — advocating for the rights of all workers, regardless of origin — and in particular defend the rights of refugee-workers who have helped sustain public services in a time of crisis.

Conference therefore calls on the Health Service Group Executive to:

1) Call on UNISON’s National Executive Council (NEC) and relevant national bodies to launch a campaign demanding that the UK Government grant Ukrainian refugees who have worked in the UK’s health and social care system a secure, long-term immigration status (for example, indefinite leave to remain or a path to settlement), rather than limiting stay to the duration of war or temporary visas.
2) Lobby the UK Government (and, where relevant, devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) to recognise the vital contribution of Ukrainian health and social care workers — and to embed protections for them in immigration policy.
3) Encourage all UNISON branches and regions — especially those within health and social care — to raise awareness of the issue, collect testimonies from Ukrainian members and refugees working in health & social care, and build local support for the campaign.
4) Work with other trade unions, refugee and migrant support organisations, and community groups to strengthen the case for secure status for refugee-workers, and to counter narratives that treat refugees as temporary or disposable.

Ulster Community and Hospitals Trust

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