Image of veteran nurse wins NHS photography competition

The contest marks the 75th anniversary of service

'Many hands that contribute to delivering patient care' by senior research nurse Ewa Gasior won first prize in the Our Care category in the UK's Our NHS at 75 photography competition. All photos: PA

'The Solution' by senior pharmacist Wasim Baqir won in the Our Innovation category. It shows hundreds of used Covid vaccine vials

Flo, a freelance hairdresser funded by the Royal Free Charity, gives a patient his weekly cut and wash. The photo, by Jenny Brodie, won in the Our Partners category

'Dedication', by Emmanuel Espiritu, depicts a nurse affectionally named 'Mother Obe' at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital

This photo of an ambulance battling the snow was taken by paramedic Joe Cartwright and won in the Our Environment category

A portrait of a nurse with almost five decades of experience has been selected as one of the winners of a national photography competition for NHS staff and volunteers to mark the 75th anniversary of service.

The best images from the five categories in the contest are being displayed special show at the Fujifilm House of Photography in Covent Garden, London, from July 5.

They include an image of hundreds of used vaccine vials in an orange sharps bin illustrating the Covid-19 vaccination programme and a photograph of an ambulance battling through the snow.

The picture of Mother Obe, a nurse at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, who has 47 years of experience, was taken by Nurse Emmanuel Espiritu and won the Our People category.

NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: “This competition has provided the perfect opportunity for our incredible staff and volunteers to give a snapshot of life in the NHS, 75 years on from its inception – and we were amazed by the hundreds of brilliant, thought-provoking, and inspiring entries from NHS colleagues across the country.

“I want to offer my personal congratulations to the winners and everyone that took part – as we mark 75 years of the health service, your images will provide fantastic insight into life in our remarkable NHS throughout the exhibition and I cannot wait to see them in person.”

The other winners include a photograph taken by senior pharmacist Wasim Baqir, of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which claimed the Our Innovations category with its depiction of hundreds of used vaccine vials in an orange sharps bin illustrating the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

The photograph by paramedic Joe Cartwright, of South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, shows an ambulance battling snowy conditions as the Beast from the East hit the UK and won the Our Environment category.

The shot by senior research nurse Ewa Gasior, of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, won the Our Care category with the depiction of many hands contributing to delivering patient care.

Senior research nurse Ewa Gasior, of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, won the Our Care category with the depiction of many hands contributing to delivering patient care.

The winner of the Our Partners category, by Jenny Brodie and Mary McConnell – of Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and Royal Free Charity, captures the moment Flo, a freelance hairdresser funded by the Royal Free Charity, provides one of her weekly cut and wash services to a grateful patient.

Tom Watanabe, managing director for Fujifilm UK, said: “We know from working with NHS colleagues up and down the country the passion they have for the health service, even in the most challenging of times, so we were delighted to help shine a spotlight on some of these fantastic stories.

“The exhibition will offer the public a unique opportunity to see what happens behind the scenes in our health service every day and it is a fitting way to mark 75 years of the NHS.”

The health service will mark its 75th anniversary on July 5 – an event that threatens to be a “wake”, a leading medic has warned.

Dr Phil Banfield, chairman of the council at the British Medical Association, said the NHS is “collapsing” and doctors are being forced to apologise to their patients because they cannot provide adequate care

Addressing the union's annual representative meeting in Liverpool, he said almost every metric measuring the health service's performance is “flashing red” as he warned that the NHS 75th anniversary celebration “threatens to be a wake”.

“This week The NHS celebrates its 75th anniversary. I remain immensely proud to work as a doctor in an organisation I truly believe in,” he said.

The NHS through the decades – in pictures

“But as we know, waiting lists have never been higher, cancer targets are missed, emergency departments are overwhelmed.

“Sleeping in a corridor or a chair is frighteningly common, and remember this may be people for whom this is the last day of their life.”

Almost every metric for understanding what is happening is “flashing red right now” he said.

“What's the government's response? Heap more work on an already burnt-out workforce. Repeat lines to the press about how much they value doctors while simultaneously cutting the value of pay. Taking the nurses union to court – shameful.

“This government takes pride in beating the very workers who care for the people of this country.

“This NHS is far removed from the one we want to be celebrating at 75. Its birthday threatens to be a wake.”

The government recently announced a plan to overhaul NHS staffing, which it called “the most radical modernisation and reform of the workforce since the NHS was founded in 1948".

More than 300,000 extra nurses, doctors and other health workers are expected to be employed in the NHS in England under the plans to be unveiled by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last week.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Health Secretary Steve Barclay described the scheme as “the first time any government has ever published a comprehensive workforce plan of this nature”.

He said £2.4 billion of funding over five years would tackle pressures by training new people, retaining existing staff and “embracing the very latest technological innovations” including artificial intelligence, speech recognition, robotic process automation and remote monitoring.

“This represents a sea change on how we train, retain and reform the workforce,” he wrote.

“As we celebrate 75 years of the National Health Service, it will help secure its future and ensure we deliver on our commitment to cut waiting lists.”