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Daphne Steele (15 October 1927 – 23 July 2004) was a Guyana nurse and midwife who in 1964 became the first Black people matron in the National Health Service.
She moved to the United States in 1955, where she worked at a hospital in New Jersey for five years, before moving back in 1960 to the UK, where she was stationed at RAF Brize Norton. She later moved to Manchester, where she was employed as a Deputy Matron at Doris Court, a nursing home. When it was announced that the home was closing, an Irish matron, Mary Walsh, suggested that Steele should also apply to become a matron. In 1964, Steele was appointed as matron at St. Winifred's Hospital in Ilkley, West Yorkshire. This was the first time that a Black people had been appointed as a matron anywhere in the NHS. The appointment made news worldwide, with Steele receiving around 350 letters from well-wishers. She replied to each letter which provided a return address.
After the hospital closed in 1971, Steele worked at Wharfedale children's hospital in Menston, then trained to became a health visitor at Leeds University and continued to work in this role in Ilkley and Bingley until her her retirement in 1987. Her sister Jeune recalled that "she never seemed to be off duty" as she was so often approached in the street for help and health advice.
Steele died in Airedale General Hospital in Keighley on 23 July 2004 of complications following an operation.
To mark what would have been Steele's 91st birthday on 16 October 2018, a commemorative blue plaque organised by the Nubian Jak Community Trust was unveiled at St. James's Hospital, Balham, where she had trained when she first arrived in England.Mehta, Amar (2 October 2018), "Former Balham nursing student recognised for her work", Wandsworth Times. "Daphne Steele – First Black Matron in the NHS" , Historycal Roots, 16 October 2016. "Blue plaque unveiled in tribute to the first woman of African descent to hold the post of Head Matron of an NHS hospital", South London Press & Mercury, 26 October 2018. "Blue plaque for inspirational nurse", Ilkley Gazette, 3 December 2018. "Windrush Generation Nurse Honoured With Blue Plaque", The Voice, 5 December 2018. St George’s Hospital in Balham celebrates Daphne Steele Day on 16 October, her birthday.
In 2022, it was announced that the University of Huddersfield’s planned Health & Wellbeing Academy was to be named for Daphne Steele. The new building is destined to train more people to work in health related careers and is planned to open in September 2024.
In February 2024, Steele became the first person to be honoured outside London with a Historic England blue plaque, it was installed at Hillside Court, on the site of what was St Winifred's maternity home in Ilkley, West Yorkshire.
Later life
Following retirement, Steele volunteered for a variety of organisations, including Soroptimist International, becoming president of the Ilkley branch from 1976–7. She was vice-president of the Association of Guyanese Nurses and Allied Professionals UK (AGNAP). She was a devoted Methodist. In 2001, the Guyanese High Commissioner to the United Kingdom awarded Steele a certificate in recognition of her medical achievements. In 2002, Steele carried the Shipley relay baton for Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee as part of the run up to the Commonwealth games in Manchester.
(2025). 9780198614128 ISBN 9780198614128 She was survived by her son Robert.
Legacy and commemoration
In her memory, AGNAP renamed their annual health talk in 2013 to the Daphne Steele Memorial Lecture.
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