This week marks 75 years since the NHS came into being on 5 July 1948 and Gloucestershire is marking the occasion in a variety of special ways.

Celebrating the outstanding achievements of the local NHS and its partners, the week’s activities will feature reflections on the last seven and a half decades and highlight how developing staff skills, advances in medicine and technology are continuing to transform health and care.

Our teams in Gloucestershire have been there leading the way, improving and adapting care for a changing population.

This week staff and partners across the county will be shining a light on the work they are doing to transform health and care and supporting people and communities.

From how robotic surgery and cancer treatment is changing lives in our hospitals to the primary care and community services working to improve the health of local people and provide care closer to home.

What is happening?

Staff from across the NHS in Gloucestershire will come together at Gloucester Cathedral on Thursday, July 6 for a service led by health and community leaders before joining thousands of runners from across the county for a series of special Parkrun events on Saturday, July 8, where special participation awards will be handed out.

Elsewhere 75 trees will be planted at the sites of our two acute hospitals; Gloucestershire Royal and Cheltenham General and a new sculpture of vaccination pioneer Edward Jenner will be unveiled in Gloucester at the Edward Jenner Blood Clinic.

A series of special films have been produced to highlight how the NHS in Gloucestershire has changed in 75 years and just what the service means to the people of Gloucestershire, these will be shared across our social media channels through the week and feature staff, partner organisations and members of the public.

Chief Executive of NHS Gloucestershire, Mary Hutton said:

“We know how fundamentally important the NHS is to people living in Gloucestershire and the huge part it has and continues to play in all our lives.

“NHS staff are inherently caring and know the difference they can make – it’s a privilege for all of us to serve the communities we live and work in.

After 75 years, the role the NHS plays in supporting the health of the nation is as important as ever, but we recognise the growing importance and value of working collaboratively alongside our One Gloucestershire health and care partners to improve health and wellbeing and ensure joined up care.”

Professor Mark Pietroni, Director for Safety and Medical Director and Deputy Chief Executive said:

“As we mark this major milestone in the history of our NHS it is a chance for us to thank all the staff, carers and community partners who have played a part in improving health outcomes and supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. I am proud to work as part of a team who are so passionate and work with such care and professionalism.

“The way we work may have changed significantly over the past 75 years, with the advent of incredible new technologies, advances in science, medicines and staff sills, but the commitment to our patients has never wavered.”

Chief Executive of Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, Douglas Blair said:

“The NHS has been part of Gloucestershire life for 75 years and we want to recognise the crucial and highly valued role all our staff play in supporting people in the community with both physical and mental health needs. Community services are playing an increasingly important role in supporting people as close to home as possible.

“Caring with compassion and kindness remains at the heart of all we do, and our commitment to the founding principles of the NHS remains as strong as ever.”