Has anyone used a work reference (instead of academic) to get into Oxford Medicine?

Hi all,
I’m 25, working full-time at Oxford University Hospitals as a Healthcare Support Worker, and applying for Medicine at Oxford (2026 entry). I’m also sitting A-levels in Biology, Chemistry, and Spanish as a private candidate.Because I’m a mature student, I don’t currently have an academic tutor who could write my UCAS reference. I was planning to ask my ward manager to be my referee, since she knows me well and can speak about my professionalism, resilience, and commitment to studying A-levels alongside NHS work.
My question is:
Did Oxford accept it, and did you get an interview/place?
Did you also have to provide predicted grades separately from an exam centre/tutor, or was the work reference enough?
I’m just trying to figure out if my application would still be competitive, or if Oxford would see it as a weakness compared to applicants with academic references.
Any advice or experiences would be massively appreciated
Thanks!

I think you need to contact medicine admissions and ask them directly.

Oxford primarily looking at your GCSE and UCAT score combined 50/50. UCAS reference plays a smaller part to interview invitation.
Might be useful to know what you have achieved for GCSE and UCAT to see where you stand with Oxford.

From the Oxford webpage on guidance for mature applicants:
“While we encourage you to ask a teacher who is familiar with your recent work in a formal education setting, where this is not possible, you should ask someone who knows you from an educational setting, work context or volunteering, can give specific details of your academic potential and is not a friend or relative.”