From its launch, the National Health Service relied on the labour of thousands of nurses, doctors, and health care workers from overseas.

Surrey hospitals were no exception. For Black History Month, this talk draws on the Surrey History Centre’s rich health care collections to explore the experiences of Black nurses in Surrey.

The talk will begin with some framing context for how and why Black nurses from the Caribbean and Africa came to staff the NHS, before diving into the archives of Surrey hospitals such as West Park Hospital, Epsom, and Netherne Hospital, Coulsdon.

Dr Catherine Babikian is an historian interested in the relationship between migration and health care. Her PhD thesis examined the history of overseas nurses in the NHS and the impact of nurse migration on Britain and its former colonies.

Tickets £5. Please book a place online at www.surreycc.gov.uk/heritageevents. After payment has been received you will be emailed a unique link and password to attend the talk on Zoom.