Posted 04 July 2018 - 12:26
Posted 04 July 2018 - 12:26
News
First NHS baby celebrates 70 years
Aneira Thomas arrived at 00:01 on 5 July 1948 – one minute after the birth of the NHS
Aneira Thomas arrived at 00:01 on 5 July 1948 – one minute after the birth of the NHS
A retired nurse who was the first baby to be delivered in the NHS was guest of honour at a party to celebrate the service's 70th anniversary.
Aneira Thomas, the youngest of seven children, was named after Aneurin Bevan, the Labour minister of heath who helped found the NHS.
The party was hosted in Birmingham by the Cavell Nurses’ Trust charity.
No pushing until near midnight
The former mental health nurse from Swansea, who worked for the health service for 28 years, told the BBC the midwives encouraged her mother not to push until the NHS began.
She said the decision to delay the birth meant her father did not have to pay the one shilling and sixpence midwifery fee he had paid for each of her six siblings.
Ms Thomas, said: ‘I am proud to be celebrating my 70th at the same time as the NHS, an amazing institution run by amazing people.’
Supportive nurse charity
The Cavell Nurses’ Trust supports nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants in the UK who experience personal or financial hardship due to illness, disability, age or domestic abuse.
It claims nursing professionals are twice as likely as the general population to experience financial hardship, and three times as likely to experience domestic abuse.
In 2017, more than 2,200 people asked for help – 15% more than in 2016.
Ms Thomas herself turned to the charity for help last year. She said: ‘I can’t thank Cavell Nurses’ Trust enough for supporting me and my family.
'It’s incredible that such a charity exists to help nursing professionals when they are struggling.'
She added that a friend asked her recently to sum up the NHS in one word, and the word she picked was ‘safe’.
Such a fantastic event ! @CavellTrust celebrating the brilliance of nurses - here!here! pic.twitter.com/jHWmb3kNCe
— Lisa Bayliss-Pratt (@hee_lisaBP) June 22, 2018
Cavell Nurses’ Trust chief executive John Orchard said: ‘We were delighted to host the party and especially welcome Aneira Thomas.
‘We were proud to have been able to support Aneira last year when she contacted us for help. It’s wonderful that she turns 70 at the same time as the NHS and that she has dedicated so much of her life to nursing.’
Further information
Read more about the Cavell Nurses' Trust
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