Last Saturday marked the 76th anniversary of HMT Empire Windrush’s arrival upon British shores. Hundreds of Caribbean people disembarked onto the docks of Tilbury, Essex, and they’d soon play an important role in shaping the Britain we know today.
The National Health Service (NHS) was created just a couple of weeks later as part of major social reforms following the Second World War and it was thanks to the efforts of the Windrush Generation that allowed it to strengthen and flourish. In this article, Nutrix Personnel will celebrate the invaluable role that they’ve played in shaping our country’s healthcare sector.
The Windrush Generation’s Arrival in Britain
As a result of the losses during the War, the British government actively welcomed mass immigration from Commonwealth nations such as Jamaica and Barbados. The British Nationality act 1948 meant that people who had a Commonwealth passport could live and work in Britain without the need for additional documentation.
After the first arrival of passengers in 1948, the British government continued to recruit workers from the Caribbean. By 1971, about 500,000 people had migrated to Britain from the Commonwealth, most of which had come from the Caribbean. Their impact was profound, not only leaving an enduring mark on our nation’s cultural history, but also playing a large role in the development of transport and postal services, as well as the growth of the NHS.
Addressing the Workforce Shortages in the NHS
Many of the Caribbean immigrants who arrived in the UK possessed medical training and qualifications, which helped the newly established British healthcare system to fill critical gaps. The goal of the NHS was to ensure quality healthcare was accessible to all and the Windrush Generation offered the expertise and skills of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers.
Caribbean healthcare professionals helped to maintain the quality and efficiency of the NHS, ensuring that patients received personalised care while also bringing their own unique cultural perspectives, values, and practices. They enabled the UK to maintain an efficient healthcare system that met the growing demands of a diversified population.
Tackling a Hostile Environment in a Foreign Country
Caribbean migrants were promised a warm welcome from their new ‘motherland’ that they’d relocated to in search of new opportunities, increased wages and a chance to escape poverty. Their experience, however, was quite the opposite as many faced racial discrimination, violence, and harassment.
While qualified nurses were offered roles within the NHS, other Caribbeans were refused jobs because of the colour of their skin despite huge labour shortages. In most cases, they were overqualified for the positions they held and many also faced difficulties when it came to finding housing as white landlords refused to rent rooms or homes.
The Impact of the Windrush Generation on the NHS
Today, ethnic minority colleagues make up almost a quarter of the NHS workforce. In fact, the NHS is the largest employer of people from a BAME background in Europe, with its workforce representing over 200 nationalities. The Windrush Generation created a legacy that has been embraced by the many thousands of individuals who have since moved to the United Kingdom in search of a better life.
To this day, the NHS is still reliant on overseas workers to staff the health service with 16.5% of staff reporting a non-British nationality. Nutrix Personnel have been supporting the NHS with agency staff for many years and it’s thanks to our large diversity of staff that we can offer such experienced and compassionate healthcare workers. We thank every member of the Windrush Generation for their considerable contributions to the UK healthcare sector.
