The RCP is proud to celebrate 75 years of the National Health Service. Below is a roundup of RCP activity this week to mark the milestone.
- RCP president Dr Sarah Clarke and CEO Ian Bullock were delighted to attend the NHS75 celebration at Westminster Abbey this week.
- RCP Archives Manager Pamela Forde’s blog gives an overview of the foundations of the NHS, and the RCP’s role.
- RCP Cymru Wales launched a new briefing paper calling for investment in more staff to improve workforce wellbeing at a lunchtime event in the Oriel at the Senedd to celebrate NHS 75. The RCP was joined by almost 30 other royal colleges and professional bodies representing tens of thousands of doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, pharmacists and social workers. Hosted by the RCP and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), the event was attended by over 60 people from across a variety of specialties, career grades and professions. Members of the Senedd and Welsh government ministers were invited to drop in, learn more about the recommendations and meet the people who care for us when we need them most.
- RCP members and officers have written on their reflections of the anniversary:
President, Dr Sarah Clarke pens her reflections on the anniversary
“Our health service now sees more patients, has evolving and state of the art diagnostic tools and can treat more diseases than could have been imagined in 1948. One aspect, however, has always been a constant: the people. The NHS workforce is central to the National Health Service. It is its best and most valuable asset.”
Clinical vice president Dr John Dean reflects on the changes experienced by four generations of doctors in his family
“So, what have been enduring features in the NHS’s 75 years seen through the lens of our family, and what has changed? There is much from the past that we recognise today.”
Registrar Professor Cathryn Edwards reflects on the future of the NHS in the second edition of our senior blogs series
“At 75, the NHS faces its own existential crisis. So how do we recreate a realistic, equitable and sustainable system of universal 21st century healthcare, which still meets the ‘needs of the many’?”
Dr Sonali Dasgupta reflects on her entry into medicine and her career in the latest edition of This Doctor Can
“The three key principles of healthcare sector are quality, equity and affordability. The NHS is the only organisation which achieves all three simultaneously and consistently.”
Dr Anita Banerjee reflects on her relationship with the NHS and how it inspired her own journey into medicine.
“I believe the future lies in working towards equity, the removal of inequalities and disparities and truly valuing good health.”