Employment Opportunity

The governments at the time turned to the Caribbean to fix this problem. Promised training and valuable experience over a five-year period with higher roles guaranteed on their return to their island, many from the Caribbean took up this offer of a nursing position at the NHS providing it a much-needed boost.  

Derby was no different. A long line of Derby’s nurses, porters and administrators have all hailed from the Caribbean. Speak to any of the second and third generations of Windrush population- you will struggle to not find one person without some link to the NHS in their family. 

One family that made a great contribution to the NHS in Derby were the Percys, a family from Kingston, Jamaica. The families’ contribution started with two parents who took up roles at the NHS and then their seven daughters- who all trained to be nurses at the Royal infirmary Derby. 

Beginnings

It all began in 1955 when Mr. Donald Percy came to England. A year and a half later he sent for his wife, Mrs. Irene Percy and his youngest son. Both parents took up roles as care assistants at the Royal Infirmary Hospital. One day, , spoke with matron of the ward and told her, “I have got seven daughters and they all want to be nurses.” The matron said, “Well bring them along Mr. Percy, so long as they have two O levels one in Biology and English and pass the nurse training, I’ll take them on”.  

Mr. Percy reported back the news and soon the Percy sisters began travelling to Britain to undertake nurse training one by one as they came of age. They didn’t have to travel far to do the training, with the Percy house located on Regents Street a short walk from the hospital.  

Inspired by those that came before them, the seven sisters, all bar one trained to become state registered nurses at the Derby Royal Infirmary. This was quite unusual for the time as most Caribbean nurses took the lesser qualification of state enrolled nurse.  

Flourishing in the field

Lola, the eldest trained in 1957 to become a nurse and then went to the United States after marriage to forge a nursing career that then went into teaching the profession. Four others became ward sisters in Derby Olga, Norma, Dalia and Etherine. Barbara and Eunice both had long medical careers and became nurses through the training. Etherine excelled the most, becoming a ward sister and then qualifying with a degree to become a nurse tutor in Nottingham until she retired.  

Today

The NHS can count its survival to the modern day off the backs of the Caribbean staff that arrived during the Windrush period. For nurses, like Olga Marr, one of the Percy sisters it came at a cost. The midwife was forced into an early retirement due to back issues from lifting her patients in and out of beds. Her injuries meant she is still given disability allowance and she is thankful for the government payments as it was all done in service of the people of Derby.  

Olga and Barbara are active members of DWICA to this day, with both coming along to the vocational classes for the elderly. Olga over the years has also been an important member of DWICA management committee and represented the organisation on various external bodies such as the Police Liaison Committee and the Ethnic Minority Consultative and Advisory Forum of the Derbyshire local Health Authority (EMCAF).