The Windrush legacy and NHS workforce race inequalities

When the NHS was created in 1948, it did not have enough people to fulfil its ambition of free healthcare for all. In the wake of Britain’s call for workers to fill labour shortages after the second world war, on 22 June 1948, 492 passengers from the Caribbean came to the UK aboard the HMT Empire Windrush, ready to join the workforce. Many went on to work in the newly established NHS.The Windrush generation has shaped the NHS; there is, however, a sadder and more troubling thread running through the story. The working environment was not always fair or equitable for people who arrived in this era, and they often faced discrimination and racism. Echoes of this persist.The NHS still depends on overseas workers, with one in six staff members reporting a non-British nationality.1 Racial discrimination is also still prevalent. Ethnic minority staff are often on the receiving end of…
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