A Northumberland photographer has been crowned of one of five winners in a photography competition celebrating 75 years of the NHS.
Hundreds of the health service's staff and volunteers from across the country entered photographs of what the NHS means to them, where they were whittle down to 75 photographs across five different categories. Wasim Baqir, a senior pharmacist in the department of the Northumbria Healthcare Trust took the prize in the "Our Innovations" category for his photograph entitled "The Solution".
The image was taken on Christmas Eve 2020 during one of Wasim's shifts in a Covid-19 vaccination clinic at North Tyneside Hospital and shows hundreds of used vials in an orange sharps bin illustrating the NHS' effort to deliver the vaccination programme. Other winning images included an ambulance battling the Beast from the East, and an image of a nurse named 'Mother Obe' who is renowned for sharing almost half a century of expertise as a mentor to new nurses.
Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive, said: "This competition has provided the perfect opportunity for our incredible staff and volunteers to give a snapshot of life in the NHS, 75 years on from its inception – and we were amazed by the hundreds of brilliant, thought-provoking, and inspiring entries from NHS colleagues across the country.
She offered her personal congratulations to competition winners and participants, adding: "As we mark 75 years of the health service, your images will provide fantastic insight into life in our remarkable NHS throughout the exhibition and I cannot wait to see them in person.”
Tom Watanabe, managing director for Fujifilm UK, said: "We know from working with NHS colleagues up and down the country the passion they have for the health service, even in the most challenging of times, so we were delighted to help shine a spotlight on some of these fantastic stories. The exhibition will offer the public a unique opportunity to see what happens behind the scenes in our health service every day and it is a fitting way to mark 75 years of the NHS."
A celebration event for the winners and all the shortlisted photographers took place at a launch event of the exhibition at the FUJIFILM House of Photography in Covent Garden, London on Tuesday. The photographs are also on display at the NHS 75th anniversary service at Westminster Abbey on Wednesday.
