Blackpool Teaching Hospitals in Collaboration with BDI Resourcing

When international medical graduates first look at moving to the UK, they usually focus on big cities like London, Birmingham, and Manchester. However, other great spots to call home can provide an even more enjoyable living experience. One great example of that is Blackpool.

When people think of the North West town of Blackpool, they often think of donkey rides, sticks of rock, and ballroom dancing. The location is undeniably a huge UK tourist attraction, hosting up to 19 million visitors annually. Look a little below the surface, though, and you’ll discover a community-driven town that prides itself on diversity, natural beauty, and friendliness. Blackpool is also home to the Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which serves Blackpool and the surrounding Lancashire community. For its staff, it provides an excellent workplace, focusing on a great work-life balance and development opportunities. As an IMG, it’s definitely a trust to consider working for.

The Location

Blackpool is a northwest England town in the County of Lancashire. It sits on the north western coast, home to a long beach, promenade, and three Victorian piers. Those attractions often encourage tourists to visit and have a stroll along the seafront, but Blackpool offers much more than seaside amusements. The hospital itself is not located in the city centre. It is based in very picturesque surroundings with lots of greenery around. There are golf courses to enjoy, and it’s next to the zoo, one of the UK’s best animal parks! You may find yourself listening to the sound of parrots or elephants on your walk to the hospital!

As an IMG living in Blackpool, you’ll likely settle down away from the bustling seafront; instead, you can make the most of the friendly and diverse neighbourhoods you’ll find throughout the town. Here are just some of the things that make Blackpool an excellent place to live:

Affordable Accommodation

Blackpool offers much lower housing costs than the national UK average. The average rent in Blackpool stands at £554, which is very affordable – especially when you compare it to the £1500-1600 average price to rent a flat in London! The affordability also makes it a great place to find a good-sized property to settle down in; you’ll be able to find a reasonably-priced family home in Blackpool which might not be as guaranteed elsewhere. This will ensure you and your family have enough space for comfortable living and to enjoy your life in the UK.

Looking slightly further afield, Blackpool has plenty of nearby towns and villages that make great places to live for doctors working at the Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Trust. Poulton-Le-Fylde and Lytham St Annes are two prime examples of amazing, affordable and friendly places to live and enjoy family life outside of the hospital.

Preston is also a great example, as it’s another great city only a 25-minute train ride away, offering great food, art galleries, markets, and a rich history to explore.

Easy Transportation Links

Getting around Blackpool is easy even if you don’t have a car, thanks to the many buses and trams running through the town. Better yet, both forms of public transport are very affordable so that you can get from A to B with ease. If you want to travel out of Blackpool, there are train links to Manchester, Liverpool, and other bustling UK cities.

One of the best things about these easy transportation links is that they provide access to excellent schools in the area. If you have kids, that’s crucial to get the right access to their education. For kids up to age 16, Unity Academy Blackpool has an outstanding record and is positioned next to Layton train station. For those that want to give their kids the best education possible, Bishop Rawstorne Church of England Academy is the highest-ranking secondary school in Lancashire, just a 45-minute drive out of Blackpool. Proximity plays a large factor in where your child will be allocated a space in public schools – so you should carefully investigate the schools around the areas you want to settle.

A Diverse Community

Lancashire County has a diverse population, with 14.4% of the population in the North West considered an ethnic minority group. In Blackpool and the surrounding areas, you’ll find people from many different religions and ethnic backgrounds, making it an inclusive place to live. In the Trust, you’ll meet people from all over the world. For instance, Wales, Ireland, Denmark, Hungary, Sweden, Algeria, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Trinidad, America and Australia, and all the countries in between! At the moment, there are 76 different nationalities employed by the Trust.

You will also find many places of worship in Blackpool, including the Central Mosque for the Islamic community, the Jewish Reform Synagogue for the local Jewish community, and a range of Christian churches. Christianity is the most popular religion in Blackpool, but you’ll still find plenty of accommodations for other religions, too. Currently, people working at the Trust claim their beliefs as Atheism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism and Sikhism, but all religions are accepted in this welcoming place.

Local Beauty

Of course, Blackpool has the bonus of being on the coast, so by living there, you’ll always have access to incredible ocean views. There’s plenty more local beauty to discover, too. St Annes is a nearby seaside town with sandy beaches and a Victorian pier – it’s a lot like Blackpool, only slightly quieter. You can also take a reasonably short drive to the Forest of Bowland, a beautiful part of Lancashire with over 300 miles of natural beauty, including valleys, streams, and villages.

As you can see, Blackpool has more to offer than the Pleasure Beach and Casinos – the friendly, diverse community and surrounding beauty make it an amazing place to live as an IMG.

The Hospital

As an IMG considering Blackpool as your new home, it’s important to understand what the NHS trust is like, too. The Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is located in Blackpool, Lancashire, and provides healthcare for the Lancashire and South Cumbria area (a population of around 1.6 million).

The biggest hospital in the Trust is Blackpool Victoria Hospital – the hospital is the regional tertiary centre for both Cardiology and Haematology. Research is also one of the Trust’s proudest achievements, so for any IMG’s with a strong interest in research, the Trust will support you with your passion.

The Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is focused on improvement, particularly regarding technology. The forward-thinking hospital is currently utilising the best medical tech to help both staff and patients, including remote monitoring technology for cardiac patients. This tech puts cardiac patients in a direct point of contact with the hospital when necessary, meaning they won’t have to go through their GP. In turn, that means reduced waiting times. David Rose, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, has said on this development,

“Thanks to this technology, we are able to have a direct link with the patients and be able to early detect any deterioration in their health condition. Patients showing deterioration will be identified, prioritised, and offered support as appropriate.”

The hospital also received recognition for the Chaplaincy team’s excellent work by receiving the non-clinical team of the year. The group provides religious and spiritual care for patients and staff, ensuring they cater to the diverse community. Included are two prayer rooms (used by Muslim staff) and a Chapel.

As you can see, the hospital focuses on delivering excellent patient care and nourishing the diverse community. Steve Wiggans, Deputy Medical Director, proudly puts it:

“It’s a fantastic family atmosphere here. This is a really friendly hospital. I’ve worked here on and off for over 20 years, and that’s why I’m proud to live here with my family. This is my hospital.”

CESR Support

Getting on the specialist register is a goal for many IMGs. Luckily, gaining your Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration is especially encouraged at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, which allows you to earn a higher salary with increased responsibility as a Substantive Consultant. That means doctors are provided with educational funding and high levels of CESR support, an initiative that the trust is extremely proud of. Thanks to it, the NHS trust has a proven track record of getting Emergency Medicine and Radiology doctors through CESR.

So, what can you expect when pursuing CESR at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals? You’ll benefit from guidance and support every step of the way. The hospital has a dedicated CESR lead who is an IMG herself, and she oversees the CESR support system, which includes 12 monthly meetings and six workshops per year. For additional guidance, a sort of ‘buddy system’ is in place, which means you’ll have other doctors in your medical modality supporting you. When pursuing CESR, you’ll also gain access to the internal CESR resource centre on the trust’s intranet, which has a range of guidance and tips to help you gain specialist registration. If that isn’t enough, the hospital financially covers the entire CESR training process.

Training support from Blackpool Teaching Hospitals extends beyond CESR, too. The SAS educational lead Mr Praveen Rao is there to answer all your queries about being an SAS doctor, helping you with your professional development. If you join as a specialty doctor, you will be introduced to Dr Rao on day one. He will work with you to outline a plan that fits your training needs and career aspirations. The Trust really does believe in support and developing IMG’s. Dr Rao states:

“I feel that training and knowledge is key to empower, enthuse and motivate our Doctors. If we are serious about training, we need to invest time and effort in helping our Doctors achieve skills and knowledge progression.”

Relocation Support

Moving to an entirely new country can be challenging. There is much to organise from getting your Health and Care Visa to finding suitable accommodation. Thankfully, you can expect unparalleled support from both Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Trust and the team here at BDI Resourcing.

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals offers IMGs £3,500 to cover initial rental accommodation expenses (subject to terms), helping you financially land on your feet when you first arrive. On top of that, you can expect a warm welcome from the trust due to their friendly teams and excellent onboarding programmes. There’s a reason they have a proven track record of happy international doctors!

Working with us at BDI, you’ll also receive a dedicated relocation concierge to guide you through the relocation process, including assistance with visa applications, pre-employment checking, and general relocation logistics. As a result, we ensure the move is as smooth as possible and that you never feel alone.

Vacancies

As an international medical graduate, one of your biggest concerns when moving to the UK will likely be finding the right job. The good news is that you are likely to find the vacancy you’re looking for at the Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Trust. That’s because the trust is focused on growth, development, and improvement, meaning they’re recruiting more and more speciality doctors to account for the increasing population. Some of the most in-demand vacancies for the trust right now are Senior Registrars, Speciality Doctors, Specialists, and Consultants.

How to Apply

Are you ready to apply for an NHS position at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals? At BDI Resourcing, we simplify the process by providing a list of vacancies on our website for you to look over at your leisure. We also have plenty of excellent resources to help with the application process, including CV writing and interview preparation. If you want to get started, just email your CV to apply@BDIResourcing.com.

Work at the Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

When you choose Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, you choose a community-driven hospital focused on delivering excellent patient care to all in the community. Not only that, but you join a hospital that looks towards the future – one that utilises the best of medical technology to keep up with modern advancements. It truly is an excellent place to work, especially for IMGs!