20.10.25
In 2025, the theme for Black History Month UK is “Standing Firm in Power and Pride”. At the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, we honour the resilience and commitment to progress of Black physicians and medical staff.
This year, we thought it was appropriate to celebrate the contributions of Black physicians in the past who have helped shape the NHS, the leaders who are currently pioneering Emergency Medicine and what could the future look like.
Roots in the NHS
The NHS invited many of the Windrush generation to join its service. Often travelling without other family members, and little to no support in face of overt racism, Black nurses would work as “auxiliaries” – health care assistants – and were rarely seen as equals with very little opportunity to progress. Still, many of these nurses were committed to being part of the NHS workforce and are integral to the way the NHS operates today.
Today’s landscape
77 years after the NHS’s inception, we’re seeing some substantial changes being made in the NHS with people such as Dr Ronx who are leading the charge in enacting change by challenging public perceptions.
Unfortunately, there is still a long way to go for the NHS. Over 40% of people from a black background had low likelihoods of believing that their trusts provide equal opportunities for career progression or promotion and many are still reporting that they struggle to get upper management to appropriately acknowledge any racism they are experiencing during a shift.
Plans for the future
Fortunately, there are NHS Trusts who are looking to the future on how they can support their Black colleagues. Examples include ensuring that their workforce has diversity in all departments, including leadership, acknowledging and acting on any forms of racism in the workplace or even taking a couple of minutes each week to discuss different cultures to gain a broader understanding.
Black medical staff have always been at resilient through turbulent times, and as a college, we will continue to support our colleagues across the board and advocate for change.
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