Celebrating the Windrush Generation's immense contribution to our NHS - 73 years on
Today marks 73 years since the HMT Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury Docks in Essex – containing 1,027 passengers from the Caribbean who would each go on to help change Britain for the better.
The so-called ‘Windrush Generation’ have had an incredible impact on British society as a whole and this is certainly true for our NHS, with many of those who arrived from the Caribbean between 1948 and 1973 going on to work for our health service.
Having first arrived to help rebuild the country following World War Two, the Windrush Generation’s arrival coincided with the birth of the newly created NHS, so it is no exaggeration at all to say that they have literally helped to shape the NHS into the source of national pride that it is today.
22 June 2021 is the fourth national Windrush Day and offers the chance for everyone to pay tribute to the immense contribution that the Windrush Generation and their descendants have made and continue to make to both the NHS and wider British society.
This influence has certainly been felt here at UHDB, where we thankfully have a richly diverse workforce that represents the different communities we serve, so it’s important that we celebrate Windrush Day and honour those who have helped to make our UHDB family what it is today!
Evan Blackwood-Pitter, from our Patient Experience team, has decided to share the experiences of her father, who arrived from Jamaica on the SS Castel Verde, soon after HMT Empire Windrush. You can read this via the link below:
Download celebrate 73 years of the Windrush Generation [pdf] (opens in new window)
There are now an estimated 500,000 people living in the UK who arrived from the Caribbean between 1948 and 1971 but sadly many have experienced racial discrimination in the years that have followed.
A famous poem by Professor Laura Serrant, titled ‘You called ….We came’ expresses some of the hopes, pride, strength, contribution, challenges and rejections experienced by the Windrush Generation.
Watch a reading of the emotive poem (opens in new window) >
More information about Windrush Day can be found by visiting the Windrush Day website (opens in new window) >
