NHS celebrates 60 years

5 July sees the 60th anniversary of the NHS – a big deal in the world of health

Celebrations were launched 60 days ahead at a vintage ambulance display in George Square, Glasgow, where the Cabinet Secretary Nicola Sturgeon met NHS staff from the 1940s, as well as patients including one of the longest living transplant recipients in Scotland.

Various celebrations will be held including a special service at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh have been and attended by patients, carers and front-line staff.

Ms Sturgeon said: “I am looking forward to meeting many staff, patients and members of the public and hearing many of the stories people have to tell about the past 60 years.

“Most of us have only ever known a Scotland that has an NHS. A high quality publicly owned service which is free to everyone at the point of delivery.

“But some Scots will remember the days when seeing a doctor was a hard choice, often between essential treatment and food for the family. That kind of choice is scarcely imaginable to us today which is why we must never take our health service for granted.

“Today, our NHS provides a vast range of services and complex treatments not even conceivable 60 years ago – artificial hips, life-saving drugs, kidney and heart transplants.

“This is also a time to celebrate the distinctive Scottish character of the NHS, with traditions of internationally renowned medical education and pioneering steps forward in healthcare.

“For the future I want to see the Scottish people and NHS staff become real partners – co owners – of the health service so that they can shape a truly responsive National Health Service which meets Scotland’s needs for the next 60 years.”

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