Our NHS at 70 – time to celebrate and defend

Lets make sure it’s here for another 70 years!

Birthdays are special. This year the NHS is 70 years old and we think that’s something worth celebrating.

We are celebrating the anniversary of the creation of the NHS, the single most loved organisation in the UK and the envy of nations around the world.

We are also celebrating the staff who work for the NHS – from the “Windrush” families who left their homes to come to the UK to work in this amazing new healthcare system, to the dedicated staff who are saving lives and caring for us today.

UNISON is proud to represent the whole team of staff who work in the NHS and we believe that everyone, whatever their job, plays a vital role in patient care. These amazing staff are worth celebrating alongside the NHS itself.

But, as the largest union in the NHS, we also know that there has never been a more important time for us to stand together and defend our health service against the policies of this government. That’s why we are asking members, their families and their friends to join us at noon on Saturday 30 June 2018 at Portland Place, London W1 (nearest tubes Oxford Circus/Great Portland St) for a demonstration in support of our NHS.

Let’s celebrate of course. But let’s also show our support for the NHS at a time when it is threatened like never before.

A decade of under-funding, unnecessary reform and the opening up of the NHS to private companies has left our health service with overstretched staff who are struggling to meet the demands facing them.

UNISON wants to see:

  • a publicly owned NHS that remains free for all at the point of use
  • proper funding and proper staffing levels
  • world class services for every community.

It’s our NHS, let’s march together to make sure that the next 70 years are worth celebrating too.

What branches can do

  • Come to the demonstration in London on 30 June and help celebrate and defend the NHS
  • Organise events locally to celebrate this special birthday
  • Organise ‘Our NHS is 70’ themed birthday parties
  • Hold workplace and public stalls to help raise the profile of the whole team of NHS staff and the fantastic jobs you do
  • Share pictures of your events on social media using the hashtag #NHS70.