Here it is! Our celebratory music video featuring staff and the voices of some of our young patients in a special reworked version of Stevie Wonder’s classic anthem Happy Birthday To You.

The video was put together in preparation for this weekend’s big NHS birthday celebrations and to help mark this landmark year. Our organisation is 72 on Sunday, July 5.

While the nation will put their hands together for a planned biggest ever NHS Thank You Clap at 5pm on Sunday – which is dedicated to everyone who has supported the NHS during Coronavirus – we wanted to start the celebrations early.

Our hard working teams at every level sent us pictures and video clips during their much needed break times to be a part of the celebrations.

And music therapy lead Stuart Hobbs recorded specially adapted lyrics sung by some of our young patients and staff at the Highfield Unit – our specialist in-patient centre in Oxford for young people with mental health conditions.

Chief Nurse Marie Crofts said: “While this weekend is dedicated to thanking all the people in our communities without whom the NHS wouldn’t have been able to respond, our birthday has to be a special celebration for all our amazing teams at Oxford Health too. And this video is our upbeat way of doing just that.

“Sunday’s NHS birthday will be a chance to applaud everyone who has helped us, all the key workers, volunteers, supermarket workers. We can stand together in unity to reflect on everything we have collectively endured, to mourn our losses, to acknowledge the personal sacrifices people continue to make and to thank those who are still risking so much to keep us safe.

“I am so incredibly proud of all our many teams at Oxford Heath who continue to rise to the many challenges that Covid-19 has inflicted on us and for the exceptional care and compassion shown not only to our patients but also to each other.

“Our core values are caring, safe and excellent. Whether our teams are working from home, in the community or in our hospitals and in-patient wards, they are living those values each and every day.”

Be part of the NHS celebrations

As part of the NHS anniversary weekend national landmarks will be ‘lit up blue’ . There will also be a minute’s silence  at 8pm on Saturday July 4 to remember the tens of thousands of victims of coronavirus. At the same time people will be encouraged to light candles in their windows in remembrance.