This edition of Nursing Times is dedicated to the National Health Service and you, its nurses and midwives.
In this special issue to mark the 75th anniversary of the NHS, we look back over the history of the NHS and look ahead, asking what is needed ensure that it has a secure future.
Nurse leaders from around the UK have also written about their experiences and what the NHS means to them.
At the core of our coverage is a list of 75 people who have either had a transformative impact on practice, leadership or services during their career or are viewed as rising stars.
We can never fully pay tribute to all that have made an impact on the NHS and continue to do so every day in every setting and specialty. But we hope our list can go some way to representing the great work and contribution of the nursing and midwifery professions in our NHS.
As its largest clinical workforce, nurses and midwives have been central to the NHS since its inception on 5 Jul7 1948.
As well as a range of articles dedicated to the NHS, we have clinical pieces on how implantable cardiac devices work to terminate ventricular arrhythmias and on finding your way around the paediatric emergency trolley.