(Music playing)
Firstly I think, on this the 70th Birthday of the NHS we should start by saying a heartfelt
thank you to everybody who conceived of the NHS, implemented it, everybody who's worked
in it over these past 70 years and everybody who works in it today. It's a precious national
institution that we must do everything we can to protect and cherish for the next 70
years and beyond. I'd like to welcome you all today. We are
commemorating the 70th birthday of the NHS. I think the big thing for me, as well as looking
at what we've achieved, what's changed, I think it's important to look forward at what's
next. We've tried to combine 2 things together here,
we've tried to combine the celebration of the 70 years of the NHS but also the Year
of Young People and where better to do that than in the Glasgow Children's hospital. It's
a fantastic hospital. Well today's been fabulous. There's so much
in this place, I've only seen a little bit of this children's hospital but what struck
me the minute I walked in the door was just the joy and the fun that's all around - so
we've got kids who are sick, families who are worried and upset and distressed but around
them is a huge amount of skill but also compassion and care.
What is it that you're really proud of that you do?
When people usually ask a question like that its usually followed up by "it must be so
sad". What I am actually most proud of is that it's not sad, there are days when sad
things happen but we deal, particularly in cardiology, with kids who are so, so sick
and we work day in, day out with them, from clinical stuff to the What Matters to Me board,
learning about them and before you know it you're watching them go home.
I love my job, I absolutely love it, I love being part of the team, I feel humbled every
day by looking around me and seeing how the staff are around me. I see excellence happening
every day in the theatres and every single day I see our theatre staff going above and
beyond what's expected of them. Like the patients you get in and a bit of
everything - recovery is only just a little bit of the journey but when you reunite them
with their parents it's so good. I was diagnosed with Chron's disease when
I was 11 and Chron's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease and when I was at my worst I
couldn't walk for very long and I felt quite weak and didn't have that much energy. It's
really good the health service and especially the NHS staff, they've been really helpful
- for helping me with my condition. We're going to hear from another couple of
our young employees in the NHS now, a couple of our modern apprentices.
I'm part of the Estates Team, which is basically the maintenance side of the hospital, so if
anything breaks down we'll come and fix it. It could be anything from light fittings,
nurse call systems or scanners for ID cards to get through doors.
A few weeks ago I made a little arm for a baby and I actually got to meet and watch
it get put on - I was a mess and I don't think I'll be able to go back in again (laughs)
but it's from then I've actually realised, I appreciate a lot more what I'm doing and
how important it is to people so everything I do, it gives me a lot of pride.
It's been a fantastic day, I've certainly taken a lot from this morning, from the hop,
skip and jump downstairs which nearly finished me off, but to all the children I've seen,
in their lovely dresses, and all the enthusiasm of our staff as well, families, mums, dads,
superb! We should thank the people who had the vision
to start this in the first place. There are people right as we speak who are in theatre,
working, who are looking after children and families who are just coming in to the hospital,
who are discharging the ones they've helped become better, every single one of them in
this place and across our Health Service - in our pharmacies, in our GP practices, everywhere,
our ambulance service, everywhere, need our deepest and sincerest thanks, and never ever
forgetting of course all the volunteers, all the first responders, all of that across this
country makes something that is very precious, we should be proud of it and we should make
sure that we nurture it and look after it.