Why Britain isn’t broken

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Social CareBy Ed Jacobs

For some, Britain is a society broken, torn apart by crime, poor health and community lacking cohesion.

Is our society perfect? No. Are there things that we have got wrong since 1997? Almost certainly. Are there things we still need to work on? Yes. But to talk of a country broken apart is to undermine all that is good in our society, all that is working. And we need look no further than those who day in and day out provide extraordinary care in the NHS.

When Gordon Brown addressed the Royal College of Nursing’s annual conference earlier this week he spoke of the extraordinary nursing staff of the NHS as being “angels dressed in nurses’ uniforms performing the most amazing works of mercy and care.” And he was right.

Last year when one of my grandmothers passed away she did so having spent many weeks in what was essentially a coma, having suffered many years suffering from debilitating Alzheimer’s. Despite an appearance that suggested she had become an empty shell, in her final days the care and support she received from hospital staff was second to none, giving her dignity, and filling her soul with care and attention. And when she passed away, as the family wept, the nursing staff wept with us. I owe them all an immense debt of gratitude.

And as I write this article, my other grandmother has been given a matter of hours left, having been diagnosed with cancer. Although in a nursing home now, during her stay in hospital the quality of the care from the nursing, ancillary and other staff was immaculate, not just for my grandmother, but for the family as a whole. They were a comfort when the news was devastating, and provided care with the kind of compassion that continues to be the hallmark of our NHS.

With the election little over a week away, let the care my grandparents received stand as testament to the good society that we all aspire to.

Our country, our society, our communities, are made up of individuals, each of which has unique talents which we have a moral and economic duty to ensure they can use.

However, talent such as this does not get found and developed because of a so called “Big Society“.

It gets found when a government invests, develops and provides an education system that builds the talents of every child on an equitable basis. It gets found when a government stands up for those who do not have a voice, protecting those who feel vulnerable, and those for whom despair comes from a world in which what matters is not your talent, but your ability to shout louder than others in society.

The quality of care my grandparents received is a sign of a society, and a country, that is working; one in which dedicated public servants provide exceptional services every day, showing the kind of compassion that is the hallmark of our good society.

Yes, things are tough, and yes, the challenges ahead are going to be immense. But let us be clear about one thing: we should be proud of what we have and will can continue to achieve:

A government supporting people to fulfil their talent. A government that has hope for us all. A government that will support our police, education and health services. A government that makes clear that we are not on our own in a world of uncertainty and fear. That is what works. That is why we can hold our heads up high and be proud of what we have all achieved. And the future can be even better.

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