By Dr Bridget McConnell

IN 2018, a celebration of the 70th anniversary of the creation of the NHS saw the Welsh poet Owen Sheers compose a poem for the BBC film To Provide All People. The verses provided voice to a presence across all our lives, “a caring chain of practice and knowledge” that enables us all to “foster a belief in our agency in life... against sickness, death and disease”.

Although 2018 now feels like another age – a time when all of us were blissfully unconcerned with Covid-19 – the health service’s ongoing response has led me to reflect on the profound truth of these sentiments yet again. To me, the NHS represents the best aspects of humanity: care and empathy; a recognition that we are all frail, fragile, and vulnerable and that ultimately, a society can only function with a universal health service built on the founding principles of this “caring chain”.

In the aftermath of the Second World War, Health Secretary Aneurin Bevan tabled a paper at a meeting of the Cabinet outlining the plans for the creation of a National Health Service. In this document, he said the country had “an opportunity which may not recur for years, for a thorough overhaul and reconstruction of the country’s health position”.

As we emerge from the pandemic, the opportunity has presented itself again. It has exposed deep fault lines, overlaying and amplifying existing inequalities. It has added yet more burdens to the lives of the poorest, the disadvantaged and those experiencing other forms of discrimination. But we also must face up to the many other longer-term structural changes such as the massively increasing demand for health and social care services.

It is arguable that this case for change is nothing new. The NHS has always been in a state of perpetual reform. From targets to fund-holding, many of these changes are around bureaucratic processes, efficiency, resources, and the availability of ever-new treatments.

But what I think must be different now is the scope we have to augment medical interventions with social and community programmes. Some of the biggest changes to people’s lives come from regularly participating in a range of activities which involve building confidence and support to improve social connections, access to nature and green space and programmes of activities that are local, fun and engaging.

Often these are based around culture and sport. Regular exercise, literacy, feelings of mutual support, trust, talking to others, meaning and connection are key facets of health and wellbeing for all of us.

Of course, none of this should detract from the importance of addressing poverty and economic inequality. This is particularly true in Glasgow.

But the assets we have for building the features of health and wellbeing complement the prevention of ill-health and support recovery. There is a growing body of evidence. Building and enabling these less-tangible features must be much more closely aligned to local communities.

Dr Bridget McConnell CBE FRSE is Chief Executive of Glasgow Life