Tony Blair BT NHS Official Sponsors Steering Group   General Secretary of UNISON The 50th anniversary is an opportunity to celebrate the people’s NHS; a time to pay tribute to its founders; and to value the generations of dedicated people past and present whose delivery of the finest patient care is the pride of the world. The health team is about everyone who works in the NHS - not just doctors and nurses, but receptionists, radiographers, ambulance crews, medical secretaries, porters and other key support staff whose contribution makes the NHS a successful operation. Most of us have grown up knowing nothing but the NHS. Few have direct experience of the stresses inevitable in a private health system which demands money up front or heavy insurance cover. Despite the legacy of 18 years of Conservative neglect evident in waiting lists, bed shortages and cash crises, the NHS remains a recognisably national health service with the best of treatment available, free of charge, to all. The Labour Government has pledged its unshakeable commitment to the basic principles of the NHS and we look forward to a productive partnership in shaping and developing this much loved institution to meet the challenges, from the cradle to the grave, over the next 50 years and beyond.     Copyright © 1998, NHS