UHDB honours the Windrush generation with commemorative plaques unveiled across all Trust sites
This Black History Month (October 2024), we are honouring the contributions of the Windrush generation and all those who 'answered the call' many years ago to help rebuild our nation after World War II, and play a key role in making the NHS what it is today.
We are unveiling new plaques across all Trust sites in commemoration ceremonies through Black History Month, with our executive leaders, EMBRACE Staff Network and community partners attending. The events will feature reflections on the impact of Windrush, and provide an opportunity to engage with members of our diverse community.
The first unveiling event took place on Tuesday 1 October at Florence Nightingale Community Hospitals and led by Chief Executive, Stephen Posey, Chief People Officer, Amanda Rawlings, and EMBRACE Staff Network representation from Joe Ramtohal and Evan Blackwood-Pitter.
Colleagues and community partners have been invited to attend unveiling events at their sites, joining us to honour and celebrate the enduring legacy of the Windrush generation, and the continuous work of our culturally diverse workforce.
The NHS was founded 76 years ago in 1948, the same year as the arrival of the Windrush generation on the HMT Empire Windrush, and the two are closely linked.
Those on board were the first of many to arrive in the UK from the Caribbean, and across the Commonwealth, seeking new opportunities. Many individuals from the Caribbean and their descendants have worked in the NHS, providing essential care and support to patients across the country.
The unveiling ceremonies have been organised alongside our EMBRACE Staff Network, and the plaques honour the Windrush Generation and their descendants for all they have done both here, at what has become UHDB, and across the NHS nationally.
At UHDB, diversity is our strength - and we are hugely privileged that talented people from across the world have chosen to invest their careers working with us, with colleagues originating from over 100 different nations. These plaques, unveiled throughout October which is also Black History Month, serve as a lasting symbol of our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion within the Trust.
We are delighted to be honouring this important chapter in our shared history, and look forward to welcoming our communities to these meaningful and commemorative occasions across our sites in Derbyshire and Staffordshire.