Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Museum show a tribute to migrants’ role in NHS

by LAUREN CODLING

AN ONLINE exhibition highlighting the contribution of migrant workers in the NHS has been launched this month.


Heart of the Nation: Migration and the Making of the NHS is a new virtual showcase by the Migration Museum, featuring the experiences stories of NHS staff in the past and present. Personal photographs of

migrant workers as well as artworks by award-winning artists The Singh Twins illustrate the display.

Curator Aditi Anand said the exhibition was a response to the pandemic and the “outpouring of love” for the NHS. “I think people are really realising just how important and essential (the NHS) is to all of our lives,” she told Eastern Eye last week. “But, at the same time, so many migrant workers and minority ethnic workers within the NHS have been working on the frontline and being disproportionately affected by (the virus), so we felt like it was a really important time to highlight the role of migrants within the services.”

Migrants have been integral to the NHS since its creation in 1948. In June 2019, NHS workforce statistics showed an estimated 13.3 per cent of NHS staff in hospitals and community services in England reported a non-British nationality. Among doctors, the proportion was 28.4 per cent.

Anand said migrant stories can sometimes be “overlooked,” but added that the pandemic has highlighted the key part they play. “It’s really positive that we are actually recognising (their contribution) now, but we know things fade from people’s minds when the immediate crisis is over,” she said. “That’s why it feels important to have an exhibition which would really put that story at centre stage and keep it there, even after the pandemic.”

It is the first time the Migration Museum has showcased an installation virtually, since it closed during the lockdown in March. Anand said the team wanted to make sure the work was still accessible to visitors, despite the restrictions. “We wanted to continue to tell stories which really matter to so many people, so being able to go digital and do that was in part inspired by the situation we’re in now,” she said.

In February, the Migration Museum moved from Lambeth in south London to Lewisham, a short distance away. Based in the Lewisham Shopping Centre, the museum was expected to attract thousands of visitors. Unfortunately, just six weeks after the launch, the museum had to temporarily close due to the coronavirus outbreak.

For Anand and the team, the closure was “disappointing” – especially as the museum had launched to great success, with approximately 10,000 visitors in six weeks. “We had lots of people coming in and sharing their stories, so it was definitely disappointing to have to shut down because we felt like there was such an appetite for it,” she said.

“So I’m really excited that we can reopen, put on new exhibitions and get people back in.”

As well as the Heart of the Nation showcase, the museum will debut its Departures exhibition when it reopens at the end of the month. The installation will explore people leaving the UK and migrating to other countries. Initially due to launch in April, it has been postponed until now. After such a lengthy delay, Anand admitted she is “very excited” by the prospect of its opening.

“It’s so nice to finally get it out there and have it be part of the conversation around migration,” Anand said. “We hope that people will come and see us and check it out.”

Visit heartofthenation.migrationmuseum.org

More For You

Knife crimes

Knife-enabled crimes include cases where a blade or sharp instrument was used to injure or threaten, including where the weapon was not actually seen.

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Knife crime in London accounts for a third of national total: ONS

KNIFE-RELATED crime in London made up almost a third of all such offences recorded in England and Wales in 2024, with the Metropolitan Police logging 16,789 incidents, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Thursday.

This amounts to one offence every 30 minutes in the capital and represents 31 per cent of the 54,587 knife-enabled crimes reported across England and Wales last year. The total number marks a two per cent rise from 53,413 offences in 2023.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer and Modi

Starmer and Modi shake hands during a bilateral meeting in the sidelines of the G20 summit at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Brazil, on November 18, 2024.

Getty Images

Starmer calls Modi over Kashmir attack; expresses condolences

PRIME MINISER Keir Starmer spoke to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday morning following the deadly attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam region that killed 26 people on Tuesday.

According to a readout from 10 Downing Street, Starmer said he was horrified by the devastating terrorist attack and expressed deep condolences on behalf of the British people to those affected, their loved ones, and the people of India. The two leaders agreed to stay in touch.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Post Office Horizon

A Post Office van parked outside the venue for the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry at Aldwych House on January 11, 2024 in London, England. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Post Office spent £600m to keep Horizon despite plans to replace it: Report

THE POST OFFICE has spent more than £600 million of public funds to continue using the Horizon IT system, according to a news report.

Despite deciding over a decade ago to move away from the software, the original 1999 contract with Fujitsu prevented the Post Office from doing so, as it did not own the core software code, a BBC investigation shows.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pahalgam attack: Prayer meet held at Indian mission in London

The prayer meet was led by Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami

Pahalgam attack: Prayer meet held at Indian mission in London

Mahesh Liloriya

A PRAYER meet was held at the Gandhi Hall in the High Commission of India in London on Thursday (24) to pay respects to the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

Chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ rang out at the event which was led by Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK  mini heatwave

Sunny conditions will bring early summer warmth

Getty

UK to see mini heatwave as temperatures climb towards 24 °c

The UK is set for a period of warmer weather in the coming days, with temperatures expected to rise significantly across parts of the country. According to the Met Office, a spell of dry and sunny conditions will bring early summer warmth, although it will fall short of the threshold for an official heatwave.

Temperatures in south-eastern and central England could reach 23°c to 24°c by Tuesday, around 10C above the seasonal average for some areas. The Met Office described this as a “very warm spell” rather than a heatwave, though the contrast with recent cooler weather will be noticeable.

Keep ReadingShow less