MK Today - Monday 13th March 2023

Born on Monday 5^th July 1948 the National Health Service is without any doubt at all the most iconic institution within our country. Thirty-six years later Milton Keynes Hospital opened its doors and today is the most celebrated legend in its own time here in the City of Milton Keynes.

My daughter was born the previous year, it was within its very early days that Milton Keynes General Hospital, as it was back then, diagnosed her to be suffering with chronic renal failure. And so began my almost four decade love of our NHS and my pride in what is now University Hospital Milton Keynes.

I keep shouting about this, not looking for sympathy but for love – love for our NHS and love for Milton Keynes Hospital. December last year I tripped over some rubbish in Morrissons car park. I felt my nose break but did not immediately become aware of other injuries including my misshapen right arm.

Attending A & E immediately a nurse began trying to stop my nose pouring blood. No long queue, waiting time two minutes perhaps. Half an hour to let the blood clot then off to have my arm x-rayed. The first of several x-rays that morning. I was treated not by one doctor but three as my arm was pulled back into shape and plastered. One week later I was under the surgeon’s knife having a metal plate placed in my arm. Then EVERY week until early March I received weekly therapy sessions.

ALL OF THIS DURING THE PRESENT NHS CRISIS ! I was told post-discharge if I need any further help all I had to do was to ask and it would be there ready and waiting for me.

People can only work within our front-line NHS if they genuinely love and care for people. Strikes are not really about pay but about respect and support. You can blame the government but its failure to respect and support our NHS is merely a reflection of society.

We were there weren’t we clapping for the NHS during covid. Supermarkets were giving NHS workers discounts on their shopping. But looking back we can now see just how shallow and empty this all was. Where has it all gone ? Was it genuine ? I fear not, at least not by my definition.

Recently I visited a vulnerable patient in University Hospital Milton Keynes. Due to their conditions patients were highly demanding, the ward was under-staffed but I watched exhausted staff caring with so much love for their patients. Not for one second did any staff member do less. Why is society, why is our government failing to show a similar level of love.

How much money do you earn ? The starting pay for a nurse is £27,055 per year. The salary for a backbench MP is £84,144. You need good qualifications and much training to be a nurse. You need love for people to be a nurse. You don’t need any of such to be a politician ! I am a pensioner on a limited income but I honestly would give 10% of my pension to give nurses a proper pay rise. Would you ?  Would our members of parliament ?

Last summer I held a garden party to support children who were sick in Milton Keynes Hospital, to send love to their families and support the front-line NHS staff who were caring for them. I sent a personal invitation to every single member of Milton Keynes Council asking them to come and show their love. When nobody replied I chased things up. One councillor, just one, kindly responded and made a generous donation to the cause. One member of the Regressive Alliance Party where politics come before people was quite rude in his response ! I sent four invitations to Milton Keynes Mayor, she failed to respond to each and every single one of them.

When I was a member of West Bletchley Council I proposed a motion of love during the pandemic and lockdown supporting our front-line key workers. This was hijacked and destroyed labour party for its own sad political gamesmanship. Regressive Alliance, proof that politics come before people !

My daughter spent most of her childhood in and out of hospital, Guys Hospital in London. I

defy anyone to find a photograph of her anywhere where she is not smiling. She was always known as Little Miss Sunshine. That Smile came from our NHS. HNS stands for National Health Service but within my vocabulary it stands for National Happy Smile.

Beck’s story is told in my book Our Rebekah A Love Story From Our NHS. After a kidney transplant she enjoyed a very happy life. Sadly the transplanted kidney began to fail but immediately she was again wrapped in a blanket of love, that blanket being within our beautiful Milton Keynes Hospital and Churchill Hospital in Oxford. When she died in May 2017 both hospitals threw their arms of love around my family. University Hospital Milton Keynes CEO Professor Harrison wrote to me and the nurse who had cared for Beck in the renal clinic attended her funeral.

If I live to be one hundred years of age I will never be able to repay the debt my family owes to our NHS. I try to repay part of the debt in my book NationalHappy Smile – My Story And Your Story.

Well, very briefly that is part of my story and love for our NHS. What is your story ?

NHS – National Happy Smile. I LOVE OUR NHS.