NHS birthday card special delivery celebration at Vale of Leven Hospital
Jackie Baillie with members of staff and Hospitalwatch team at Vale of Leven Hospital this week. Picture by Shonagh Munro
By Lucy Ashton
Dumbarton constituency MSP, Jackie Baillie, yesterday delivered a birthday card to staff at the Vale of Leven Hospital to mark the 70th anniversary of the creation of the National Health Service.
The card had been signed by local residents from across Dumbarton, Vale of Leven and Helensburgh at a campaign street stall organised by Jackie outside of Asda, Dumbarton which took place on the weekend of the NHS’s 70th birthday.
Jackie was joined by members of Hospitalwatch, who have been campaigning ceaselessly to retain precious services at the Vale.
Jackie Baillie said: “I was delighted to hand deliver this birthday card to the fantastic staff at the Vale of Leven Hospital. It was great to personally thank them for all the hard work that they do for the NHS each and every day.
“Everyone who signed the card, young and old alike, had nothing but praise for our NHS staff and particularly singled out the Vale of Leven hospital for special mention.
“I believe that creating the NHS back in 1948 was one of Labour’s greatest achievements. It therefore saddens me to see the strain that our health service is under, strain only made worse by the drastic cuts to funding that we have seen in recent years.
“I hope that the NHS in Scotland and the staff are supported and resourced to meet the increasing demand on services and that the Vale of Leven hospital, which is our jewel in the crown, continues to serve the population of this area for many, many more years to come.”