Staff, governors and patients got into the birthday spirit yesterday at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) to celebrate one of the nation’s much loved institutions.Midwives on ward 17 at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI) kicked off the morning with a live morning show for BBC Radio Lancashire. They gave personal and touching accounts of their roles as midwives and talked about different aspects of their profession including bereavement support, safeguarding and caesarean sections, as well as touching on the historical aspects of midwifery to present day.
Roz McMeeking, Matron for Gynaecology, UHMBT, said: “Happy 70th birthday NHS. Well done. I have spent the majority of my career working on this ward and a lot of mums, dads and babies come through it. My mum has always said to me that when you go to work you are going to be part of someone’s special day and I think we as midwives really appreciate that. It is a real privilege.”
The show also celebrated new mums, dads and partners on the ward, including Ian and Katie Robinson and their baby son Oliver James Robinson, who was born on Wednesday 4 July, at 2.38pm, weighing 7lbs 8oz.
Yesterday, there were five babies born at South Lakes Birth Centre, and two babies born at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary - all sharing their birthdays with the NHS. In the afternoon, special tea parties were held in the restaurants at the RLI, Furness General Hospital (FGH) and Westmorland General Hospital (WGH) to thank UHMBT and Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust staff and volunteers. Around 150 people tucked into sandwiches and cake and raised a cuppa to the NHS reaching its milestone birthday.Radio Lonsdale played a show of vintage music interspersed with staff interviews at FGH, and there were displays of old photos, memorabilia and stands from Bay Hospitals Charity at all three events. Matthew Bradley, Waiting List Co-ordinator for General Surgery, UHMBT, said: “We had a great afternoon at the tea party. I’m immensely proud to be a part of a national institution and a national treasure. We’re all here because we care and it’s good to spend time celebrating how decades of that same attitude has brought us this far.” Ann Addenbrook, Ward Clerk, UHMBT, said: “I feel very proud to be part of the NHS in its 70th year and being involved in our patients experience on the amazing newly built South Lakes Birth Centre. As a nation, we need to treasure the NHS as it is a fabulous organisation. A huge thank you to all who contributed to our afternoon tea party - it was well organised and a wonderful event, and it was so interesting to see all the memorabilia on show.”
Lynne Wyre, Director of Nursing In Hospital, UHMBT, added: “The tea parties across our hospitals were not just about marking 70 years of the NHS but were also a celebration of our appreciation of the outstanding contribution our staff and volunteers and our community colleagues make to the organisation. They really do go above and beyond to provide the best possible care for our patients.”
Staff at Ulverston Community Health Centre received bottles of water, chocolates and a happy 70th birthday balloon from the Emmanuel Christian Centre to say thank you for the work they do. A special NHS 70 Brilliant Bay Day hosted by the Improvement and LiA team was held at Castle Green. Staff gave insight to their improvement schemes and held a variety of market places.