Nursing is a diverse workforce
Nurses care for an increasingly diverse population. We are all different, and nurses see those differences every day, more intimately and personally than most. The history of nursing in the UK is an incredible story, rich with nurses from around the world, from different classes and cultures, an array of personal experiences and distinct life choices. Here at the 绿帽换妻 Library and Archive, we have begun the task of ensuring that this richness is recorded in history, expanding our collection to reflect this diversity and filling the gaps where we have no historical content at all. This journey has led to the exploration of previously untold stories, from the contributions of D/deaf nurses, to the experiences of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) nurses working in the UK, through to networks of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT+) nurses. The more nurses reflect their communities, the better prepared they are to meet the needs of those communities.
We have been asking nurses how personal experiences enhance their work as a nurse. What richness do nurses as individuals bring to patient care? Or perhaps, some personal life choices may be simply incidental to one's work as a nurse. This online exhibition is a snapshot of stories that reflect the true diversity of nursing past and present.
The below image is of pupil nurses at the South London Hospital for Women and Children c.1955, 绿帽换妻 Archives.
A letter from Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit in support of Umas nursing achievements in England, 1957
Brown Girl in the Ring Boney M, 1978, and school photo including Elizabeth Anionwu (then Furlong) at 12 years old Wallasey Technical High School March, 1960
Carol Webley Brown with patient Beatrice at Brookwood Hospital, 1976
Carol's 'Moving Up in the NHS' course certificate, 1993
Dr Lola Oni's (OBE) belt buckle, 1978.
Drawing of Carol studying hard for her Registered General Nursing exam, 1981
Mary Carol and Maureen at Greenwich District Hospital, 1984
Photograph of Uma Halder nee Dutta 1953
Thank you letter from Uma to the Secretary GNC and England Wales, 1994
Thank you letter from Uma to the Secretary GNC and England Wales, 1994
Uma sits with colleagues for Christmas lunch at Hammersmith Hospital, 1958
Original copy of Jamaican nurse Mary Seacole's autobiography 'Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands', 1857
Providing a skilled nursing workforce for the UK has been a challenge throughout time. Since the early twentieth century, hospitals have used various strategies to support the delivery of skilled care. The introduction of a 鈥榮econd level鈥� nurse, initially in the 1930s, provided practical nurses to care for the chronic sick. This became the foundation of State Enrolled Nurse training (SEN). At the formation of the NHS in 1948, targeted recruitment of young adults from the Commonwealth helped fill vacancies.
Many nurses recruited from overseas were directed to State Enrolled Nurse (SEN) training. As an SEN or 鈥榩upil nurse鈥�, two years training was required, as opposed to the three years required for State Registered Nurse (SRN). The differences between the roles and responsibilities of SENs and SRNs meant that many enrolled nurses didn't receive the respect or recognition that they deserved. Many were keen to extend their training to SRN.
"Watch out, they鈥檒l try to push you into a lower grade.鈥� She [my sister] was right. In my interview they started saying it would be better for me to be a state-enrolled nurse. I said: 鈥淣o thank you, not with my qualifications, and if you don鈥檛 want me I鈥檝e got an interview at Bart鈥檚 down the road.鈥�
Some hospitals recruited whole cohorts of pupil nurses from South East Asia. Often, new recruits would arrive in the UK alone and would find support from colleagues in the same position. Nurses鈥� homes formed a strong base for tight friendships to grow. Some hospitals provided English language tuition. Many Asian nurses remained in the UK practicing as Enrolled Nurses. Others returned home with new skills and experiences.
“I came [to England] alone. The British Council met me at Southampton and they put me on a train and I went to Bath. A bit scary, but I coped. When I went into the nurses’ home by taxi, I met up with students from all parts of the world and we were all in the same category. We had nobody, we had nothing.”
Shirley Ramnarine. Shirley was recruited from Trinidad in 1967 and recalls being met in Southampton by a man from the British Council, taken by taxi and put on a train to Bath. She found her own way to the nurse’s home and began her SEN training. She later became an RGN and worked as a practice nurse.
Article Les Dames Anglaises with the Reims unit of the Comite Britannique British Journal of Nursing BJN, 1920
Cathlin du Sautoy holding Victor (known as Hiddy) and extract from BJN article, 1920
Lady Hermione Blackwood and Cathlin du Sautoy with adopted children Yvette left and Victor Rene right, 1926
Lemons on the night shift, 2017
Lesbian nurse by Theresa M Stephany, 1988
Letter sent from Hermione to Cathlin, c1920
The Unit at Reim with Lady Hermione Blackwood and Cathlin du Sautoy and Victor, 1920
Vera Jack Holme, 1916
Walking cane and Norwegian folk art chair belonging to WWI ambulance driver Vera 'Jack' Holme, early聽 20th Century
'Wide Neighborhoods: A story of the Frontier Nursing Service', 1952
