#TeamCDDFT : PRIME MINISTER AND JEREMY HUNT RECOGNISE LONG SERVING NHS STAFF

• NHS staff from across the country attended a reception at No10 to mark the 70th anniversary of the NHS
• Prime Minister and Jeremy Hunt met staff with 40 years' service and those who are rising stars

NHS staff from across the country were welcomed to Downing Street yesterday (4 July) for a VIP reception to mark the 70th birthday of the NHS. And #TeamCDDFT was proud to be represented by one of our own - Nancy Clark, a receptionist from the Emergency Department at University Hospital of North Durham.

The Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care hosted the event to celebrate the hard work, compassion and dedication of NHS staff.

The majority of those who attended have worked in the NHS for 40 years and received a specially commissioned pin badge in recognition of their outstanding service.

The Prime Minister and Secretary of State also met a number of rising stars in the NHS to talk to future leaders and to recognise their commitment to driving innovation in healthcare.

Prime Minister Theresa May said: "The NHS is an achievement of which we are all rightly proud - providing the British people with some of the best healthcare available anywhere in the world, free at the point of use.

"I was delighted to welcome hardworking staff and volunteers to Downing Street to help mark the 70th birthday of this very special institution. 

"I met people whose careers in the NHS are just starting alongside those who have given a lifetime of service - as well as innovators who are shaping the future of the NHS and of healthcare itself. 

"It was a chance to thank those people for their dedication and hard work - and with our long term plan for the NHS we hope to enable NHS staff to achieve greater things in future."

Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "One of the best parts of my job is meeting with amazing staff in the NHS - every meeting is humbling, insightful and inspirational so I'm thrilled that we could celebrate the NHS' 70th birthday with so many staff today.

"Many of these people have spent nearly all of their working lives in the NHS, caring for patients with endless energy and compassion. No thank you will ever be enough but it was a fantastic opportunity today to celebrate their amazing contribution to the health service, as well as recognising the work that all NHS staff across the country do every day for patients."

Published: 5 July 2018