LETTER: We're all responsible for the future of the NHS

There have been voices that our weekly ritual, clapping for NHS staff on Thursday night might come to an end. We have come together as a nation but what exactly have we achieved?

Health staff have welcomed the outpouring of appreciation and gratitude. However, some doctors and nurses have pointed out that they are neither heroes nor soldiers but just doing their jobs under very, very difficult circumstances. Increasingly, even before the pandemic, for many, it has felt like we have a health service for emergencies only. You get seen if your condition is life-threatening but what if it is not? There are many of us, and the numbers are growing, who are suffering in silence, waiting, often enduring excruciating pain and discomfort. We are waiting for appointments, treatments and surgeries without any time scale telling us when we will be seen. What is going on?

We should remind ourselves that the NHS is a massive national commitment. Our heath service employs around 1.5 million people and something around £ 180 million is spent every day on it. Every day? Yes, every day. Running it amounts to a tremendous responsibility, especially since as a nation, we do not have a good public health record with high levels of diabetes, obesity, asthma and many more common health conditions.

Looking at the scale of the operation, we have to realise that clapping and donating to Major Tom who raised £40 million will not do much towards sustaining and preserving the NHS. We can clap until our hands bleed but it will not really help to improve doctors', nurses' and nursing assistants' working conditions. Nor will it attract more UK born young people into seeking a career in health care. Nor will it help prevent doctors and nurses suffer early burn-out. It will not reduce our reliance on health care professionals from overseas ( who are in turn badly needed in their own countries )

So, what can we do to support the NHS? Firstly, we have to take our government to account over how the NHS is funded and run. Secondly, if the government does not listen to health professionals, then we must add our voices to make the government listen. Thirdly, funding for the NHS should be enshrined in law and ring-fenced so that it cannot become politicised to the extent it has been. Finally, maybe we should all take more responsibility for our own health and question our lifestyle choices. What can we do to lead healthier lives? Can we opt for a low carbon economy, thereby reduce air pollution and as a result, reduce the occurrence of asthma? Can we shun sugary foods and in the long run, reduce diabetes? Can we commit to a regular exercise routine for healthy hearts and resilient immune systems?

There are many questions we have to ask ourselves. Where do we want the NHS to go? If we want free, universally accessible health care for all of us, we have to keep an eye on what happens to the money we pay in tax and we have to make sure that the people working in health care settings are treated fairly. There will be more personal responsibility for all of us.

Anja Ellersiek, Wolverhampton