The long road to equality

When Eleanor Smith’s daughter Abigail said she wanted to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a nurse, the seasoned public sector campaigner had mixed feelings. Nurse Eleanor Smith (right) hopes her daughter Abigail’s generation will know equality
‘Part of me was happy and proud because I love being a nurse and I still get a buzz from it,’ says the senior theatre nurse. ‘But I took a deep breath because I know what the reality has been, and still is, for black nurses working in the NHS.’
On the positive side for Abigail, who is currently in the second year of a nursing degree course, her mother is well placed to offer her plenty of advice.
A former girl guide who ‘loved first aid and
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