Why We’re Thankful For The NHS
05 July 2018
This month the NHS celebrates its 70th birthday, the 5th July marks the anniversary of it being founded. As a service provider working with many NHS Trusts, Vivup has huge admiration for the physicians, healthcare workers, administration staff and managers who have dedicated their lives to this ‘national institution’ and its founding principles that:
- It meets the needs of everyone
- It is free at the point of delivery
- It is based on clinical need, not ability to pay
Since many readers of this blog will work in the NHS we don’t need to share the history of the NHS or explore the challenges it faces in its 70th year. Instead we would like to say thank you to all the amazing people that work so hard on our behalf. Below we share some of our team’s experiences of NHS care.
Thank you NHS from the Vivup team
Julia Freeman, Marketing Director at Vivup:
“As a NHS surgeon’s daughter I have always been aware of the amazing people who work in the NHS and how lucky we are to have them. But I don’t think you can truly know how important the NHS is until you, or someone close to you, experiences a crisis of some sort.
“This happened to my family when my children were young. One morning their father woke up coughing blood, having had a chronic cough for sometime. From the moment we arrived by ambulance at A&E we became part of a well oiled and highly efficient machine. As my ex-husband’s condition deteriorated, the level of care we received increased and everyone from the paramedics to the intensive care team worked together to ensure that everything possible was done for him. He was monitored continually, every possible diagnosis explored, and underwent a barrage of tests to discover what was wrong. All of this was delivered compassionately and for free. As his wife I was made to feel part of the care team, kept fully informed, and no question or anxious phone call in the middle of the night was too much.
“He was very unwell, ultimately being diagnosed with sepsis as a complication of pneumonia, but throughout I was reassured by the actions of all the professionals we came in contact with that he was in the right place. As my father said, “If you’re ever seriously ill, you need to be in an NHS hospital.” I completely agree.
Fortunately my ex made a full recovery and the children have their father. We have the NHS to thank for that, and I am immensely grateful.”
Carol Glanville, Office Manager at Vivup:
"Every time I've had any contact with the NHS they've been brilliant. There are three hospitals that over the years I've had most contact with. They include Frimley Park Hospital where both my sons were born and have had treatment since. Although sometimes you have to sit and wait, the service we've received for everything from football injuries to having grommets fitted, is always very good.
"Then there's Southend University Hospital where my mum received treatment for breast cancer. Again the staff and care at this hospital was fantastic, without it my mum wouldn't be here today. Through a difficult time she received first class healthcare services from compassionate and wonderful NHS staff.
"Finally, the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford has been treating my father-in-law for a number of conditions related to his 86 years. Nothing is too much trouble for them, and they give him time as well as care.
"I feel that we're very lucky with all the care my extended family have had from the NHS, my personal experience has always been positive even when it's a serious or an upsetting time. A big thank you from me and my family goes to the NHS for everything they've done."
Jane Woodyer, Marketing Team at Vivup:
"I would like to thank the NHS and the wonderful staff in paediatric A&E, especially those at the Royal Surrey in Guildford. With three children it's not surprising that we've made a few trips to A&E over the years for a variety of reasons. Some of them have been serious such as asthma attacks and concussions, others have been painful like when my eldest daughter collided with an apple tree branch and broke her nose, and other visits have been for 'misadventure', such as when my youngest put a 5p coin up her nose.
"Regardless of the seriousness of the reason for our visit, we always come away feeling thankful for the staff and institution that is the NHS. As a parent I've never been made to feel that I'm wasting their time, or that I should be more vigilant about leaving 5ps in the proximity of small children (to be fair she was at least 5 years old). Happy 70th birthday NHS and thank you to everyone who has come in contact with the Woodyer tribe in A&E!"
The NHS has touched everyone in the Vivup team in some way. It’s easy to forget that the NHS isn’t just there for emergencies and life-changing events, but also routine dental check up, GP services and healthcare advice and support. Whether you have spent time in hospital or are just searching NHS Choices for information, we all use NHS services at some point in our lives.
Tea party packs to help the celebrations
Vivup are proud to be sponsoring Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust’s tea party packs that have been distributed across the Trust to help staff celebrate the 70th birthday.
Check out our social media pages where we’ll be sharing photos and more NHS birthday news. Follow us on Twitter here or like us on Facebook here.