LOOK BACK ON HOW WINDRUSH HELPED TO BUILD THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE
“My parents worked hard to bring up my brother and sisters, they tolerated racism in pursuit of giving us a good life. I was inspired by them and wanted to make them proud.
“They supported my aspirations to become a nurse and I joined the National Health Service aged 18. When I began my current post in 2020, I became one of 4% of nurses from a black and ethnic minority background working at executive level. Little did I know that I would be starting at the beginning of a global pandemic. Covid-19 shone a light on health inequalities, with disproportionate impact upon black, Asian and ethnic people. “At the same time, it has often been said that the NHS could not function without its black, Asian and minority ethnic staff – who make up 20.7% of their workforce and represent over 200 nationalities. This is undoubtedly true as they proved every day during the pandemic, selflessly putting their lives on the line in the name of duty.”
Karen Bonner
Karen Bonner is Chief Nurse at Buckinghamshire NHS Trust and has been a qualified nurse for 27 years. The NHS has always depended on the input of black, Asian and other ethnic minority staff, like Karen. And, as the child of parents from the Windrush generation, her personal history is intertwined with that of a treasured institution. Here Karen reflects on that close connection. The NHS was built on and has depended on the talents of its diverse workforce since its inception in 1948, the year the HMT Empire Windrush arrived at the port of Tilbury. Many of the passengers came to work for the NHS and are part of its history. “My parents travelled from Jamaica and Barbados with British passports in 1957 and 1965, in response to gaps in the British labour market. My dad worked as a bus driver and my mother aspired to be a nurse – but her plans were scuppered when she met my father! However, she became a nurse’s aide and worked for a few years at Stoke Mandeville Hospital – part of the same NHS Healthcare Trust I work for today.
“The Windrush generation helped to build the National Health Service and I stand on the shoulders of those nurses who came before me – your legacy is my history and I celebrate and thank you.”
Karen Bonner
Your continued support is so appreciated by us all, thank you.
WE NHS
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