Black nurses : the women who saved the NHS.

Jacqui Dunkley-Bent, head of Maternity, NHS England is a woman of Black Caribbean extraction and was the midwife in attendance at the birth of Prince William and HRH Kate Windsors' first baby. This documentary amply illustrated with archive footage follows the story of the nurses and midwives from the Caribbean and Africa who worked in the NHS. At Musgrove Park Hospital, Lynette Richards-Lorde 78, recounts her early training as a nurse and a midwife. Professor of Nursing, Laura Serrant talks about the early days of the National Health Service in Great Britain; archive footage of the launch is shown. A staffing crisis surfaced as the costs of the service were 30% higher than originally anticipated; Patrick Vernon former NHS Director describes how various government bodies toured the Commonwealth on recruitment drives looking for trainees to fill the gaps. Professor Elizabeth Anionwu, Professor of Nursing, describes the parallels to the call to arms during Second World War (WWII). Zena Edmund-Charles, a retired midwife originally from Jamaica, only ever wanted to be a nurse. Beverley Chapman is another former midwife from Jamaica. A Barbadian former psychiatric nurse describes how she decided to come to the UK to escape her strict Christian upbringing. Some people were self-funded and others were funded by the government. Colleen Wedderburn-Tate recalls her arrival at a train station; the noise and dirt were causes of astonishment. Allyson Williams also makes the same observation. With little time to adjust, the trainee nurses were sent to various training hospitals around the country; there is archive footage of student nurses in class. Artificial respiration and injections are demonstrated. After passing an exam, women were let loose on the wards - although 'not all nurses were created equal', many black nurses were channelled into less challenging State Enrolled Nurse roles rather than the State Registered Nurse stream - the latter had more possibilities for advancement. Unfortunately this was as a result of 'unfortunate cultural stereotypes' and many nurses including Sislin Hunter felt cheated of their qualifications. The nurses were not prepared for the prejudice they experienced from the patients; Leonie Williams describes one such encounter. Maria Layne-Springer and Daphne Foster talk about their disappointment in experiencing prejudice. Various vox pops taken the at the time indicate the level of racism prevalent in the general public at the time. Although the government recruiters may have expected the economic migrants to be temporary, many subjects of the Commonwealth were granted British passports and could stay legally in the UK if they wanted. Dr Kehinde Andrews, Associate Professor of Sociology, looks at the tipping point when the numbers of migrants increased to such a degree that in response a 'Keep Britain White' campaign surfaced. There was a significant gap in communication between the government and the general public about the immigrants. Many who wanted to return discovered that the cost of living in the UK gave them very little opportunity to save - the costs of the return journey were significant. In 1958, there was the first 'flash' point when violence and racially motivated riots occurred. Linda Craven, was a student nurse with Beverley Chapman and have remained friends for over forty years. The Whittington Hospital had many nurses from the Caribbean including Carmen Brooks-Johnson and they supported each-other. Nola Ishmael reminisces about the fun they had at dances and parties. Chapman lays out her uniform as a trained nurse; she qualified as a nurse and then as a midwife. Midwifery had a well-defined career path; a clinician in their own right leading to senior roles. Yvonne Coghill, Director of Workforce Race Equality Standard, NHS England, agrees that midwifery was considered to be a career development. Jacqui Dunkley-Bent and Lynette Richards-Lorde concur with this view. Others saw midwifery more as a calling; Myrtle Bryant others reflect on their experiences. Unfortunately the hours these midwives worked meant some sacrifices in spending time with their own families. Returning to the theme of prejudice; midwives such as Cathy Appiah recalls an incident. Another midwife sent her baby daughter back home to Barbados to be raised by her mother which caused problems with bonding. Beatrice Norman, a midwife who came to the UK from Uganda when she was 6 has risen to the top of her profession. Unfortunately even after 70 years, the advancement of black people in the NHS is a cause for concern. Tina Johnson-Martin, a former Ward Sister from Jamaica, had experience of being passed over for promotion. In June 2016, Mary Seacole is the oldest known black nurse who was honoured at St Thomas' Hospital with the unveiling of a statue.