Her parents were John and Charlotte and her father worked as a hosier.
Her first years wage had to be met bu an appeal to members as she resolved conflicts between hospital managers and the undervalued SEN nurses.
Bentley worked with Irene Ward who was a member of parliament for Tynemouth and a private member's bill, the "Nurses (Amendment) Act, 1961", passed through parliament to remove the demeaning "assistant" from the SEN's job title.
The committee consisted of a secretary, four doctors (all men) and five women who were all nurses.
[2] Bentley died in 1996 after suffering with Parkinson's in the London Borough of Camden.