Part in a nationwide clap
responded to the pandemic without the dedicated staff who make our NHS – or indeed without the tens of thousands more in our social care services. Our health service is built on the commitment and compassion of the skilled staff and volunteers who work around the clock to give the best possible dignified care in often difficult and demanding circumstances.”
At a Downing Street press conference on Friday, the PM urged the public to clap for “those who have worked tirelessly and selflessly to help the nation get through this pandemic”.
Both Prince Charles and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer paid tribute to the NHS in separate messages yesterday.
The prince said: “The current pandemic means that the NHS – and the entire country – has been through the most testing time in the service’s history.
“Our remarkably selfless nurses, doctors, paramedics and countless other staff have made costly sacrifices to provide treatment for more than a hundred thousand patients with coronavirus and thousands more who needed other care. And, in tribute to them, we have come together as a nation to thank them for their skill, professionalism and dedication.”
Meanwhile, Sir Keir said the health service had a personal resonance for him as his late mother was a nurse and later relied on the NHS as she became ill.
He said: “Many, many times she got gravely ill and it was the NHS that she turned to, and I remember as a boy, a teenager, being in high dependency units, in intensive care units, with my mum, watching nurses and other support staff keep my mum alive.
“They did that on more than one occasion – it’s etched in my memory. For them, it was just the day job. They were doing that every day.
“So, it’s very personal for me and I’m very grateful to the NHS and my mum was very grateful, she loved the NHS through the decades that she absolutely depended on them.”