72nd birthday offers NHS chance to express our thanks

Sunday 5 July 2020 is the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the NHS. This date is particularly poignant this year as we thank all those NHS staff and other key workers who have kept us safe, and we remember those who have lost their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The focal point of the day will be a special nationwide #ClapForOurCarers at 5.00pm.

Staff working at OUH have gone the extra mile to care for our patients and for each other during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we want to take this opportunity to applaud not only our outstanding staff, those on the front line and those less visible but nonetheless vital to patient care, but also all the other key workers and everyone else in our local community who has pulled together and supported us.

Annemarie Plas, the founder of the Thursday night #ClapForOurCarers which ran for 10 consecutive weeks, is supporting this national initiative to mark the 72nd birthday of the NHS as a chance for the public to thank everyone who has helped during the COVID-19 crisis.

She says: "Uniting, coming together and the acknowledgement that we need each other is something we need more than ever." 

To mark the 72nd anniversary, the Radcliffe Orchestra, which comprises healthcare professionals many of whom work on our front line, has released a special remote performance of 'Nimrod' from the Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar.

The orchestra would normally play a live concert in June, so they have created this online performance to raise funds for Oxford Hospitals Charity and other charities.

You can watch the video of 'Nimrod' on the OUH YouTube channel and donate via the Orchestra's JustGiving page.

This anniversary offers us a moment to pause and reflect on the remarkable support the NHS as a whole, and our Trust, has received over the past few months, not only from our staff - including students and apprentices - but also our volunteers, Oxford Hospitals Charity, local schools, businesses and key workers, and organisations including Salute the NHS and Project Wingman.

So many wonderful people have helped us keep our services running, have taken care of our children, provided accommodation, hot meals and toiletries for front line staff and offered safe spaces to unwind at the end of a shift. We cannot thank them enough.

Professor Meghana Pandit, Chief Medical Officer of Oxford University Hospitals, says:

"The 72nd anniversary of the NHS is an opportunity for us to pay tribute to the many people whose efforts have supported us through this extremely challenging period.

"We have been immensely touched by the kindness and generosity of our partners and our community, and would like to express our deepest gratitude to all of them."

OUH Chief Nursing Officer Sam Foster has also taken the opportunity to say thank you, by means of a video message to be released on our social media channels on Sunday.

You can read more about some of our staff and supporters on the 'Thank You' pages of our website, and more 'thank you's are on the way.

In advance of the anniversary, on Saturday 4 July, people are being encouraged to put lights in their windows, in remembrance of the tens of thousands of people who have lost their lives to COVID-19, and some public buildings across the UK will be illuminated with blue light.