You may know- hopefully you do- that the NHS is 70 this year. That means 70 years of putting our health before financial worry, 70 years that have led to our beloved institution being the 5^th biggest employer in the world.

For my family, it has meant outstanding treatment for more than one type of complex cancer, support for degenerative neurological conditions and subsequent palliative care from a specialist team of allied health professionals (including speech and language therapists), care for chronic and acute childhood illness, expert maternity care…. the list goes on.

For my friends, it has meant accessing reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation after life-changing injuries. It has been multiple life-saving surgeries, followed by care from people who really do know how to make the journey a little easier. It has meant world-class training for medical and allied health careers, with hands-on experience given by experts in the relevant field.

For me, it’s meant not worrying about the cost of orthopaedic surgeries, or being told I needed to stay in hospital longer than I expected and not even thinking about how much that would cost. It has meant no longer moaning about emergency care; I learnt that when it’s really an emergency, you can be seen in A&E before you’ve even had a chance to sit down, and being reassured that you’ll be looked after.

For the public- including myself- it has meant education about self-management, lifestyle advice, treatment of minor illnesses and learning not to take out stretched resources for granted.

I know that you will have your own stories. I know that there are so many other examples that I have not mentioned, and I know there are times when things have not run as smoothly as perhaps we would have liked. These things rarely happen because of staff apathy, more that physical and emotional resources are overstretched.

I’ll leave you with this:

One of my very best, oldest friends, who just happens to be training as a paediatrician, received a letter from the head of the trust she is training in. At a time when she was struggling to feel confident about the work she was doing and couldn’t seem to figure out how she fit into the hospital hierarchy, the letter complimented her on her outstanding rapport with patients and tireless enthusiasm. I should probably add that letters like this, from heads of trusts, are few and far between. She got the letter because patients and their guardians had bothered to take the time to tell the hospital about the great experiences they’d had with her.

For the next 70-and beyond-let’s be these patients.

Image credit: East Sussex NHS Healthcare Trust