Published Wednesday 5 July 2023 at 8:24
Today marks 75 years of the NHS.
To celebrate this historic day staff from East Lancashire Hospital’s Trust (ELHT) both past and present, were invited to join The Mayor in his Parlour to thank them.
The gathering was held to bring people together and show how The Council and ELHT partners have worked together collaboratively to combine services for the residents in Blackburn with Darwen.
The Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen, Councillor Parwaiz Akhtar shared his experience of currently working as a Health Care Assistant in Critical Care and talked about the past and future of the NHS.
Susan Huddleston and Pauline Quinn
He said: “The NHS do an excellent job, the staff care about the patients and their relatives. People get a lot of help between the hospital and the council and it’s the teamwork that helps to get an excellent service for patients and together we are doing a good job.”
NHS staff, patients, volunteers and members of the council came to The Old Town Hall and discussed their experiences, including Paige Barnes, a breast cancer survivor and fundraiser for Burnley General Teaching Hospital who raised over £8,000 for the Primrose Unit to help buy four new slap cooling caps used during chemotherapy treatment.
She said: “The NHS have been amazing and the support that they have given me has been amazing. After having surgery the nurses were there holding my hand when I woke up they gave me the strength and helped me recover. Fundraising was a great way to give back after the support I received.”
Dunni Akinbulumo , Pauline Quinn, Susan Huddleston, Sheena Byrom The Mayor Councillor Parwaiz Akhtar, Paige Barnes, Claire Richardson, Leader of BwD Council Phil Riley and Yasir Abdelhadi cut the NHS75 birthday cake
The Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Phil Riley, said: “The NHS is the greatest British institution of modern times and it is envied throughout the world for introducing the principle that everyone is entitled to the same level of care irrespective of their ability to pay. It is an interesting time for us in terms of funding and we are hoping that the next election will be a time where we can test the water on what people really want from the NHS and how it should be supported financially. It is an amazing service and we all have our stories to tell. Well done to everyone involved across the Council and the NHS.”
Director of Health and Care Integration, Claire Richardson shared her experience of being part of the NHS and the Council. She said: “It’s important to me that I was born and bred here in Blackburn with Darwen and I am able to make a difference within the community. I have worked in lots of roles and that has enabled me to coordinate the best possible care for those in the area, not only in healthcare but supporting in different neighbourhoods to boost ambition which is good for wellbeing and improving overall health of our residents.”
Council leader Phil Riley and Dunni Akinbulumo
The Mayor’s guests were warmly invited to share their stories and each of them have an inspirational story. They also talked about being included as patients as well as staff and the care that the NHS has personally brought to them and their families.
They included Susan Huddleston who started as a Catering Assistant at the former Queen’s Park Hospital in Blackburn with her mum Iris, who also worked in the same role. Susan retired after 54 years of service and her last role was a Bereavement Officer. Dunni Akinbulumo joined ELHT as a Staff Nurse in 2020 after coming to Blackburn from Nigeria, she now works as a Pastoral Care Nurse for International Recruitment. Yasir Abdelhadi was also at the celebration and is a Blackburn with Darwen Council employee who works in partnership with ELHT and other organisations on the Health Equity Alliance. He builds upon the Trust’s partnership with other services to improve community services.
The Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen, Councillor Parwaiz Akhtar
Speaking about the future of the NHS was Pauline Quinn, who was given an OBE by the Queen for services to midwifery in Lancashire, she trained as a midwife during the 1960s and worked at Queen’s Park Hospital as Service Manager for Midwifery. Pauline was joined by Sheena Byrom who qualified as a midwife in 1978 at Burnley General Hospital and was also awarded an OBE. She produced a best-selling book ‘Catching Babies’ and continues to share and inspire midwives.
The Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, added: “We are all very lucky to have the NHS and it has been wonderful to have this opportunity to come together and share our experiences.”
Tonight Wainwright’s Bridge will also be lit up to mark the occasion, to celebrate NHS75 and to highlight the relationship between BwD and ELHT.