A service to mark 75 years of the NHS took place at Westminster Abbey on Wednesday 5th July.
The event, held on the actual day the NHS was created three quarters of a century ago, was a big thank you to health service staff and volunteers, past and present.
Speakers at the service included Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer and Chief Executive Officer of NHS England Amanda Pritchard.
Following a rigorous UK-wide selection process, four staff from Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust were invited to attend the ceremony, in gratitude for their service to healthcare.
Photograph (L-R): Michael Gee alongside Bridgewater staff Emma Smith, Lead Nurse, Children in Care, Halton,
Lisa Williams, Childhood Immunisation and Vaccination Team Leader and Katie Adams, Business Administration Apprentice, outside Westminster Abbey.
Trust Chief Executive Colin Scales congratulated the staff on this national recognition, saying:
“Here at Bridgewater, we are dedicated to serving the needs of our local communities and every day, our staff go above and beyond in their delivery of exceptional healthcare.
“We’re incredibly proud of everyone that works for our trust, but I am particularly thrilled that five colleagues have been honoured in this way and chosen to represent Bridgewater on such a special occasion for the NHS.”
Often working against the odds and with some overcoming personal challenges, those invited were:
Beth Johnson, Health Care Support Worker, Katie Adams, Business Administration Apprentice, Lisa Williams, Childhood Immunisation and Vaccination Team Leader and Emma Smith, Lead Nurse, Children in Care, Halton.
In acknowledgement of the way in which Bridgewater services are developed using feedback from the local community, Michael Gee, a care leaver who has worked to help shape the delivery of the dedicated Child in Care Nursing Team, was also invited to the service.
Speaking at the event, Lisa Williams said:
“I actually began my career at what was the first NHS Hospital, opened by Aneurin Bevan 75 years ago to this day.
“I’ve worked for the NHS for 35 years, with 28 spent at Bridgewater. I couldn’t do my job to the best of my ability without my wonderful colleagues, who always go above and beyond, so I’m thinking of them today.
“I feel so proud to be a nurse in the NHS and I’m honoured to be representing our incredible Trust in this way.”
Celebrations to mark 75 years of the NHS are taking place throughout 2023. There are many ways in which you can join in, from attending events in your local area to supporting the work of the NHS, for instance by giving blood or joining the NHS Organ Donor Register.
For more information visit: https://www.england.nhs.uk/nhsbirthday/