Today the NHS celebrates its 72nd birthday.

On your birthday, NHS, we would like to be able to give you the full resources you need, human and material, to do the jobs you chose to do to the fullest. We would like to give your public service a guarantee of protection you can trust. We would like to provide accessible opportunities for training for those who wish to dedicate their lives to the care of others and welcome and security for the diversity of those who come to care for us from other countries.

On your birthday, and every day, we would like to give you confidence and time to reflect on the work you do, to learn from genuine mistakes rather than hide them for fear of punishment and to learn even more from the good, the better and the excellence that is easily shrugged off as “just doing your job”. The chance to be proud of what you do and the opportunities to make it even better when you can see a way.

You, NHS, and the gracious and brave donor families, gave Lucia, the founder of Live Loudly Donate Proudly, 12 more birthdays than would have been possible without her liver transplants. We know what beautiful and fruitful years they have been and how much life has been celebrated.
With deep gratitude we wish you a happy birthday and give you our promise that if we can’t give you all of the gifts we would like to today, we will stand with others who want to do the same until we can.