NHS, Social Care and Frontline Workers’ Day
05 Jul 2021
Today marks the 73rd birthday of the NHS and the first annual NHS, Social Care and Frontline Workers’ Day.
This is a new day of remembrance and thanks for those who lost their lives working on the frontline during the pandemic, and to show appreciation for everything NHS staff and all key workers do for our country.
It is hoped that each year, individuals and communities will use the time around this date to pay tribute to our NHS and Social Care staff and to the valuable work they do for us all.
Nationwide events will take place throughout the day including clapping our heroes and the ringing of church bells at 8pm.
Today serves as an opportunity to thank our amazing colleagues and students who have supported efforts within the University related to NHS, and to reflect on Manchester's contribution to the NHS.
Here are some of the ways our colleagues and students have helped support the NHS over the last 18 months:
Helping our NHS
Professor Tony Redmond, one of the world’s leading experts in coordinating medical responses to disasters, was appointed the medical director of NHS Nightingale Hospital North West.
Our students’ final year at university started to look very different, and more than 450 medical and social care students across Manchester stepped forward in less than a week to support NHS workers while they tackled the COVID-19 pandemic.
And support for our NHS frontline workers didn’t stop there – many departments became involved in the race to provide PPE quickly. Professor Brian Derby coordinated our 3D printing response, progressing rapidly from concept protective face mask headband prototypes. Model Making Workshop technicians in the Manchester School of Architecture used their expertise to design and build PPE visors.
And our staff worked with frontline medical workers to design and test a new type of respirator to keep healthcare professionals safe and help them communicate more effectively with colleagues and patients.
Third-year student Olivia-Faye Dickinson put her textile technology studies to good use by sewing scrubs for four hospitals near Lichfield.
Dr Obuks Ejohwomu helped Manchester City Council (MCC) coordinate and test more than 150,000 pieces of PPE so that they could be delivered to key workers in the city.
Manchester’s spirit of humanity spanned the generations when alumnus Brian Eadon met History student Mike Jennings. Brian, who retired last year, had answered the call to return to the NHS – leading him to mentor volunteer Mike in the pharmacy unit of the Rainbow Hospital Deeside.
As staff continued to work from home, our campus car parks near the hospitals were opened to NHS staff. And colleagues who are members of Northenden Community Choir teamed up virtually with other choirs, the Royal Northern College of Music and poet Tony Walsh to record a tribute to the NHS and health workers who lost their lives to COVID-19.