The National Health Services of the United Kingdom have been awarded the George Cross by Her Majesty The Queen.
The award comes in recognition of 73 years of dedicated service, including for the courageous efforts of healthcare workers across the country battling the COVID-19 pandemic.
The George Cross, the highest civilian award for gallantry, recognises the incredible dedication, courage, compassion and skill shown by NHS staff – from nurses and doctors to porters, cleaners, therapists and countless other roles – over more than seven decades, particularly in the face of the Covid pandemic.
This is only the third time the George Cross has been given to a collective body since its introduction in 1940, and it is granted in recognition of “acts of the greatest heroism or of the most courage in circumstances of extreme danger”.
Receiving the award on behalf of NHS colleagues was Amanda Pritchard, NHS Chief Executive, who said: “I see these incredible qualities put into action by NHS colleagues every day, not least by caring for more than three quarters of a million patients with Covid, rolling out the biggest and most successful vaccination programme in our history and delivering the most ambitious catch up programme to tackle the backlogs that have inevitably built up.”
“It feels particularly special to receive the George Cross in the year leading up to the 75th birthday of the Health service, and just one week after recognising the outstanding work of individuals and teams from across the entire health and care landscape, through our annual NHS Parliamentary Awards.”
“I continue to be inspired every day by your ability to strive for improvement and to do the very best for our patients. Together, we will continue to innovate, to pioneer new treatments and to make the very best use of technology, with the singular goal of improving the lives of everyone in our society.”
