Mansfield MP Ben Bradley salutes '˜incredible' NHS on it's 70th birthday

It’s incredible that even now decades later, the basic principle that every citizen of the UK should have access to healthcare that is free at the point of use regardless of their wealth or background is still accepted by pretty much everyone in our society.

There aren’t many ideas that have stood the test of time in the same way.

To coincide with this big birthday, the Government recently announced a new funding settlement that will mean an additional £600 million every week going in to health services.

That’s a £20 billion a year boost not just for hospitals and acute services, for but community care and the bits that are meant to keep us out of hospital too.

It’s not all about the money, not by any stretch.

But what this means is that Government is investing in a long term plan to help our NHS to cope with the changing nature of the demand, such as an ageing population and helping with more long-term and complex health needs than ever before.

The answers are not simple, but this is the first time that any Government has taken this long-term approach to make sure we get the right solutions to last long in to the future, not just patch up the holes for here and now.

The plan will be written by the NHS, not by politicians, and will embrace technology and modern practises, make sure the country is training and recruiting the right people, and ensure that now people are more aware of mental health issues than ever before, the UK has the services it needs to support people.

This is all good news, so happy birthday NHS, a huge thank you to everyone who gives there all to look after us in the health service.

And here’s to another successful 70 years to come.