#NHS70 Service of Thanks at Westminster Abbey

On the 5th July I had the privilege of attending the 'A Service to Celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the National Health Service'. I was there as a guest of Dr. Jean O'Hara, Clinical Director of Learning Disabilities, NHS England, who I shall say a big thank you to for giving me this wonderful opportunity.

We arranged to meet by the statue of Millicent Fawcett. I had never heard of this lady until Jean told me the story. Millicent was a pioneer of the suffragette movement and she became the leader of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, the main suffragist organisation in Britain. She held this post until 1919, a year after the first women had been granted the vote in the Representation of the People Act 1918. 

So we headed off to Westminster Abbey. The queue to enter was rather long but Jean walked straight to the front and showed the guards our pink tickets. The guard said we could go straight through and head to the front of the Abbey. I was really surprised because we didn't get our bags searched like everyone else and we walked the whole length of the Abbey to find our seats. We were sitting with the MP's and the NHS leaders. I felt like I was really important but then I remembered how important Jean is!


There was about 45 minutes until it started, so I took this opportunity to take it all in. The first thing I noticed was how I was dressed compared to everyone else. All the men had suit and tie on, even the odd bow tie. The women could have been going to a wedding or Royal Ascot. So many fascinators and not a bride or groom in sight. I have been to Westminster Abbey when I was at school. I had forgotten how beautiful the building is and full of history. We discussed what historic events that had been held here, like royal weddings, funerals and coronations.

It was 12 o'clock and everything worked like clockwork, you can see they have done this so many times before. The choir came in first, singing perfectly and then followed by Countess of Wessex and the Archbishop. I felt quite sad for the Countess, who had to sit by herself, on the alter with everyone staring at her, but I imagine she is used to it by now. Once all the officials were in we sang the first hymn 'Praise, my soul'.

Then came the most touching speech I have ever heard. It was a talk by a young teenager called Freya Lewis. She spoke so eloquently and not a sight of nerves. She told us about her story of the NHS who cared for her. She and a friend were at the Manchester concert last year when a bomb went off. Her friend sadly died at the incident and Freya suffered catastrophic injuries. Every part  of her body was injured, she broke both legs, one arm, had internal injuries and I can't imagine how this would affect your mental health. Freya was in hospital for five weeks and went through thirteen operations. She is still an outpatient fourteen months after that tragic night. But her speech was quite positive as she spoke about the courageous, kind and empathy of the NHS staff who cared for her. From the ambulance crew on the scene, to the nurses and doctors in A & E and on the ward, the physio's, occupational therapists and the list goes on. She was so thankful to the NHS and she is now raising money for the hospital that cared for her. Her total so far is £15,000. She is a true hero, an inspiration to us all. You can hear an interview with Freya here.

Next was a reading by Jeremy Hunt and then a very positive speech by Sir Simon Stevens, Chief Executive of NHS England. He reminded the audience of how and why the NHS started in 1948, how whoever you are, from whatever background you come from, if you are rich or poor, whatever your religion is, whatever your sexuality is - you will always receive free care from the NHS. He spoke about how the NHS responded in times of crises like Greenfell, July 7th bombing, the nerve agent incident at Salisbury, the list goes on and on but the NHS is always there in times of crisis. He praised the nurses who came over to the UK on the Windrush boat and the diverse workforce of the NHS.

Sir Simon concluded his speech by looking to the future and what challenges we will face. I think he never actually mentioned people with learning disabilities and/or autism in his speech but we as an NHS has got to make some radical and urgent changes to our practice if we want to be a truly inclusive society.

The ceremony concluded with representative from the different parts of society saying the prayers and we all said the 'Lords Prayer'. Then it was finished.

This was an amazing experience and although I'm no longer religious this was a reminder of how our culture developed over centuries and how we get a sense of 'being British' means. I would like to finish this blog by saying a massive thank you to Jean and for all of your dedication to people with learning disabilities over the years.