The first ever statue to honour the contributions made to the NHS by nurses and midwives from African and Caribbean backgrounds over the last 73 years, is being unveiled this Friday 10 September at 1pm outside the Whittington Hospital in Archway, Islington, north London – artist rendering attached below.
The statue is comprised of 16 pieces of granite, and is 7ft high x 7ft wide to commemorate the 7 decades of service to the NHS. Around 40,000 nurses and midwives from around the Commonwealth came to the UK from its inception in 1948 to the mid-70’s to work in the fledgling NHS, which was facing problems recruiting staff.
Despite the integral role ‘Windrush and Commonwealth’ nurses and midwives had in building the NHS, until now, their contributions are not widely acknowledged. This long overdue commemoration and celebration of these nurses’ and midwives’ work also includes an anthology of new testimonials and stories called Nursing a Nation.
