AS the country marks the 60th anniversary of the NHS we look at how the service has developed since the historic day which saw Health Minister Bevan hand the keys to the hospital which is now Trafford General - the symbolic birth of the NHS.
It's been a journey through times of great change and, as the current chief executive of NHS North West, Mike Farrar, said in the anniversary week, there's still a lot of challenges for the future.
He said: "Looking back over 60 years at what has been achieved it is remarkable but looking forward we also face tough challenges here in the North West because of the lifestyles we lead.
"If you cast back 60 years the diseases killing people are totally different to the ones we are facing now, we have successfully tackled a lot of the historic illnesses now many of our big problems are preventable deaths and many of them are related to social inequalities."
Read more about the anniversary via the links on the right of this page and tell us what the NHS means to you below.
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Question begs, will the NHS be around in this form in another 60 years time?
Dear Laurence, for the sake of your chldren's children and for their children I certainly hope so. I am now 73yrs. old and I cannot put a price upon the treatment that I and my family have received from the wonderful NHS. Thank you the Labour Party! Remember always - be careful what you wish for!!
Its a shame the NHS has lost its way!
Lawrence
not a chance i suspect; with the average person turning 65 expecting to live 10 years more than they would 60 years ago; the availabilty and cost of treatments unheard of then; add in millions of people getting type 2 diabetes in their 20s, the direct cost apparently £320 million per year; and indirect around 2billion, and this was in 1998/99, with already a 70% incease in cases since then the idea of universal health care will soon be impossible to fund
how we try and deal with this will be interesting