And these are incredible achievements to be celebrated. Yet we know that there's always more to do. A growing and ageing population places ever-greater demands on our services. The ever-faster rate of medical and technological advancement is creating opportunity and expectation, together with more funding dilemmas for services with finite budgets and a myriad of competing priorities. In many ways, none of this is new. Almost from day one, the NHS has been surrounded by arguments over funding, spiralling budgets, and arguments over structural and organisational arrangements, capacity and the rationing of services. 

What is different now though is the scale of the challenge, its urgency and the scale of the operation. Last year in Wales there were some 20 million patient contacts, more than 700,000 first out-patient appointments, more than 600,000 in-patient and day cases, more than 479,000 ambulance calls and more than 1 million people seen in our accident and emergency departments, whilst some 82,000 adults and around 16,000 children depended on support from our social care services. Between them, these services have a combined budget of over £9 billion and employ a workforce of over 170,000 staff. And all this for a population of just over 3 million.

And when we consider today, of course, we still face the challenges over a range of health inequalities. And I want to recognise now the pioneering work done on the inverse care law in Cwm Taf and Aneurin Bevan health board areas and the signs that they're actually closing a gap on health inequalities, which is a remarkable achievement. And it's worth reflecting, of course, on the passing away of the Welsh GP Julian Tudor Hart at the age of 91 on Sunday. As will others, I've met him and been impressed by him, but, more than that, the impact of his 1971 The Lancet paper on the inverse care law continues to prompt debate and recognition of how we still have a continuing responsibility to tackle health inequalities.

We know that meeting these challenges and coping with the different demands that the future will bring means that our services will have to change and adapt, as they have had to do in the past. That's why, with cross-party support, we commissioned the independent parliamentary review to examine our health and care system, and, having taken their advice on what needs to change, we've spent the early part of this year working with stakeholders across Wales to develop our long-term plan for health and social care. So, 'A Healthier Wales' is the first joint health and social care plan in the UK. It sets out actions that we will take as a Government to support our services so that they can deliver the transformation required and ensure that our services are fit for the future.    

As we reflect on and celebrate our past, we have choices to make for our future. More of the same cannot be the answer. We cannot allow our NHS to be changed by service failure. We have to empower and enable change to improve services and outcomes. And, crucially, we have to listen to our staff and provide them with a platform to lead a debate with the public about the future.

When I receive praise for the national health service, the letters and the conversations that I have themselves often refer to the amazing technical capability of the health service. However, they always talk about people. Because the service isn’t bricks and mortar—the health service, above all else, is our staff. Because the NHS would survive without me, but it won’t survive without our staff—the doctors, the nurses, the therapists, scientists, admin staff, the cooks, the cleaners, the paramedics, the porters and many more—all of the people who keep our service alive with their skill, their commitment and their compassion, and it's a tremendous honour to serve our staff. 

The other big 70 we celebrate this year is, of course, Windrush 70. Many of the Windrush generation played a pivotal role in shaping our national health service, the same incredible people who are being denied their place in the Britain that they helped to create. This country is their home, and our countries are better places for the Windrush generation, and they have been poorly repaid for their loyalty. We cannot and will not allow their fate to stain the hands of this generation.

Our NHS and social care sector is lucky to have such a skilled and diverse workforce. We have a rich history of welcoming people who were born or trained both in and outside Europe. We should not simply value them for their public service but for the contribution that they make as our friends and neighbours in each community that we live in and represent. Bevan was famously quoted as saying:

'no society can legitimately call itself civilised if a sick person is denied medical aid because of lack of means.'

This Government still holds true to that principle today, as it was then. There will always be more for us to improve here in Wales, but I am proud that we have stayed true to Bevan’s ideals. We rejected the market in favour of a planned system, we have increased budgets faster than across our border over the last five years, we abolished prescription charges and capped the costs of social care.

But Bevan himself was not simply a man of fine words and principle. He compromised with reality to deliver an achievement of lasting value that touches and improves the lives of every one of us. If he were here today I think he would recognise the need to improve and not to get stuck with what we have instead of what we deserve. I think he would recognise the battle of ideas and the clash of values. I am certain that he would recognise our values, support them and fight for them.