The people who contributed to this book are proud of their achievements, and rightly so. They have achieved a great deal from personal satisfaction, through to the implementation of policies and initiatives that have benefited the NHS in general and black nurses and BME patients in particular. Most of them stayed in Britain after their training, and worked for the NHS until retirement. They overcame enormous challenges – including discrimination – to achieve within their fields and progress into specialist fields, in some cases becoming the first black person to do so. Some took their NHS experience and expertise abroad, developing important health initiatives in the Caribbean, Canada, and Africa. All of them played a vital role in the first twenty or so years of the NHS. They helped to ensure that the new health service worked as well as providing key role models for BME health practitioners to follow.

Student nurse receiving award (Royal London Hospital Archives)

Personal Satisfaction: Read More