WE HAVE TO PROTECT OUR NHS
The NHS is personal to all of us. Today, on its 72nd birthday, we have the chance not just to celebrate it but to reflect on what it means to us.
My mum was a nurse but she was very ill for much of her life.
The NHS she served and loved was also her lifeline.
When I remember the dedication of the doctors and nurses who cared for her, I feel a deep sense of gratitude.
It is what inspires me to fight for our health system, to ensure that kind of care will always be available to everyone.
The NHS means so much to so many. But in the last few months, as we have battled the coronavirus, it has become even more important.
The impact of Covid- 19 across our country has been devastating.
Friends and families have been kept apart and tens of thousands of lives have been taken too early, including hundreds of NHS workers.
At the centre of this storm, our NHS has been a rock.
I know it has been incredibly hard for those on the front line. For them, it’s more than a job. They are the best of us. That’s why Labour supports those calling on the Government to make an immediate commitment to talks on a pay rise for NHS workers.
Throughout this crisis, the Government has been too slow. Too slow into lockdown, too slow to ramp up testing, too slow to fix the test-and-trace system and much too slow to get PPE to the front line of the NHS.
We must do everything we can to protect and support our NHS.
For 72 years, it has been by our side, ready to catch us when we need it most.
So today, we say happy birthday to our NHS and thank you to all those who have served in it.