The NHS, in partnership with Fujifilm, has launched a national photography competition to mark 75 years of the UK’s health service.
The competition is an opportunity for NHS staff and volunteers to share, through photos, their unique stories of what the NHS means to them.
And entries will be judged by a panel including This Morning’s resident GP, Dr Ellie; award-winning journalist, Victoria Macdonald; eminent photographer, Lewis Khan; Dr Habib Naqvi MBE; Fujifilm’s Theo Georghiades; and chief nursing officer for England, Dame Ruth May.
The competition explores what the NHS means to staff and volunteers across five categories.
Winning photos, along with 70 commended entries, will be displayed in a dedicated exhibition in Fujifilm’s House of Photography in London during July and August.
The five winners will also have their photo displayed at the NHS 75th anniversary service at Westminster Abbey on 5 July.
Dame Ruth said: “The NHS can do nothing without its incredible workforce – it is thanks to the skill and dedication of hundreds of thousands of staff and volunteers that the NHS is the much-loved institution that it is today.
“Joining the NHS is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and, as we mark the 75th year of the NHS, this competition provides an opportunity to celebrate the extraordinary skill and diversity of NHS staff and volunteers.
“I’m delighted to be a judge and I am looking forward to seeing all the entries which celebrate and look back on 75 years of the NHS”.
Macdonald added: “The NHS treats over a million people a day and, while under pressure, it’s clear that the public still firmly value the fundamental principles of the NHS.
“Over the past few years, we have seen NHS staff and volunteers at their very best, but now we will see the health service through their eyes – through the prism of the lens – giving a powerful insight into their lives and their work. It is a privilege to be involved in this competition”.
And Tom Watanabe, managing director of FUJIFILM UK, said: “With Fujifilm’s founding heritage in photography, we know how powerful photos are in telling stories – and having applied this expertise to now be an industry leader in healthcare, our teams have seen but a handful of the incredible stories from within our health service.
“We are privileged to partner with the NHS, its staff, and volunteers, to bring these perspectives to the forefront as we all come together to celebrate its 75th birthday”.
The competition will close to entries on 31 May.