Last night I attended a webinar hosted by the Secretary State for Health and Social Care on the government’s achievements for the NHS so far, his plans for the future and his commitment for it to remain free at the point of entry.

It was incredibly useful to hear first hand what has been achieved; stories which may not always make the headlines. I previously highlighted how the government had implemented measures to increase the number of diagnostic tests to reduce the wait times for patients, which has already seen an improvement.

In addition, the Secretary highlighted some positive examples, as follows:

• 2 million extra appointments have been delivered so far with the government’s target being 5 million over the course of its term

• There has been a reduction in waiting lists for treatment

• 6,500 more mental health workers have been recruited

• Over 1,000 additional GPs have been recruited

• A commitment to the recruitment of more midwives as part of the NHS Workforce Plan.

It was acknowledged that aspects of NHS care have been in the news for the wrong reasons at times, maternity care being one such example and the Secretary reaffirmed his commitment to improving standards and protecting patient safety.

There may also be a need for a clear strategy on how to retain staff to ensure the needs of the influx of patients going through ‘the system’ are met. But the number of new recruits is a positive reflection of those wishing to improve patient standards.

As an institution, the NHS is something which we should be incredibly proud of, from its beginnings in 1948 through to the present day, and the commitment of those working within it who rise to the challenges that are inevitably faced, when caring for the nation. Times and patients’ needs are changing, the commitments and changes implemented so far look to be going in the right direction.