Black History Month: NHS workers celebrate diversity

Staff at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said they have seen increased diversity on the wards

Hospitals across the UK are marking Black History Month to celebrate the contribution black staff members have made to the NHS.

The health service has been recruiting doctors, nurses, midwives and other key workers from across the world since being formed in 1948.

However, many had to overcome racial prejudice to achieve their career aims.

Staff at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have told the BBC how it feels to be black in the NHS today.

'It's like working for the UN'

Sandy-Lee Alexis is a senior clinical assessor who has worked for the trust since qualifying in 1993.

"I think you can see a whole lot more diversity now than when I started," she said.

"If you walk around now you see people of all different colours, from all walks of life, from every single country really.

"I always say 'you work in the NHS, it's like working for the UN' - you have doctors from every part of the world possible."

She added, however, it could be "easy to feel like you are not appreciated" and that Black History Month was a good opportunity to celebrate everybody's contributions.

'It is a celebration for us all'

Kofi Quartey is a project manager currently overseeing the building of a new cardiology lab.

He said staff had been marking Black History Month in the trust's canteens by serving Caribbean and African cuisine.

"Whether you are black or white, it's really important we understand the celebration of Black History Month - it is a celebration of all of us," he added.

"[It is] to acknowledge humanity and to acknowledge what we all bring on board, and what we contribute to the NHS to make it a better place."

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'It's important to be seen'

Kemi Adegboyega is a sister who said her experience of being a black nurse at the trust had been "very positive".

She said Black History Month was important because it "means your are seen".

"You are not just in the numbers, hidden away... this is what it means celebrating Black History Month - it means that every single person is valued," she added.

"You're always going to be seen, you're always going to be heard - that's what's important to me. "