NHS 75: Warwickshire doctor claims more should be done to protect service
Dr Jarvis has been working for the NHS for almost half the time it has been running.
Last updated 5th Jul 2023
A leading GP from Stratford-upon-Avon and TV Doctor thinks we need to be doing more to look after the National Health Service.
It’s as the country marks the 75th birthday of the NHS today (5 July).
Dr Sarah Jarvis has been working in the NHS for 36 years and has trained 28 other GPs in that time.
She said: "The NHS is 75, alright? It is showing its age a little bit. Its creaking slightly at the seams. But we are in a position where if you become unwell, you take it for granted that you will not be charged, and that you don’t need to worry if you can afford care.
"Pharmacists are an amazing source for advice, they’re a real untapped resource where the NHS is concerned. We definitely need to be thinking about how we use the NHS."
Dr Jarvis added: "But if we look after it the NHS, I very much hope it will be here for a long time to come."
Dr Sarah Jarvis is also a health and medical broadcaster and was awarded an MBE in the 2018 New Year Honours list for services to general practice and public understanding of health.
She is one of the 1500 NHS staff who have been invited to Westminster Abbey today for a celebratory service of thanksgiving.
Their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, will be joined by medical professionals, political leaders, and celebrities to mark the occasion.
The service will be held at 11am and will include an address by NHS Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard.
May Parsons, an associate chief nurse who delivered the world’s first vaccine ever in Coventry back in December 2020, will carry the George Cross into the Abbey in a procession.
May Parsons said: "The service provides NHS staff and volunteers, and everyone else across the country too, with a perfect opportunity to reflect on what the health service has achieved over the last 75 years and how far we have come.
"For me, it is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the moment I delivered the first vaccination outside of a trial to the brilliant Maggie Keenan, something which kick-started one of the highlights of NHS history – the hope the world leading vaccination programme gave the world – which helped get the country back to normal and saved so many lives".
A history of the NHS:
NHS is established
The National Health Service was formally established in 1948 at what is now Trafford General Hospital in Manchester. The service was started by Aneurin Bevan under the government of Clement Atlee. Its aim was to create a system of free healthcare to all. One of the first patients was Sylvia Diggory, aged 13, who was suffering from a liver condition.
Prescription charges introduced
Soon after its inception, charges for prescriptions and dental care were introduced. Each prescription would cost one shilling, while dental care would require a £1 payment. Charges would eventually be dropped and then reinstated in 1968.
NHS discoveries
Throughout the 1950s, thanks to the pioneering technology the NHS was using, a number of medical advancements were made. Polio vaccinations were rolled out in the UK, the structure of DNA was found and the link between smoking and cancer was proven.
Treating new diseases
As time went on and the NHS grew, so did its capacity to look after those who were unable to be treated before. The Mental Health Act in 1983 was the first time the concept of consent was raised in treating those with mental health issues. Nurses also treated people suffering from AIDS in the late 1980s and, together with the government, helped to reduce the stigma of the disease, which primarily affected gay men.
Opening to the public
In order to cope with the increasing demand for the NHS, the structure of the service changed. In 1991, NHS Trusts were established in the first of a wave of reorganisation for the service. People would later be able to donate organs more easily with the introduction of the NHS Organ Donor Register.
Stretched resources
In the 21st century, the NHS came under pressure as a result of stretched resources. With the rising cost of medicines, the government voted to bring in longer working hours and minimal increases in pay for NHS staff in 2015. This resulted in a mass picket of junior doctors around the country for better working conditions. It was the first general strike in the NHS' history and the first instance of industrial action in 40 years. There have been further strikes in 2023
NHS during coronavirus
In 2020, a new disease named COVID-19 began to spread around the world, eventually reaching the UK at the end of January. The resulting pandemic led to NHS workers being on the frontline of the disease. Support for the NHS grew massively and during lockdowns, so-called "Claps for Carers" would take place every Thursday to thank the NHS and its staff for protecting the public during the pandemic.