LABOUR leader Jeremy Corbyn wished a happy birthday yesterday to the first person born in the NHS on the 70th anniversary of the health service.

Welsh-born Aneira Thomas, who also turned 70, was born one minute past midnight on July 5 1948 in Glanamman hospital, west Wales, and was named in honour of NHS founder Aneurin Bevan. If she had been born one minute before midnight her parents would have had to pay one shilling and sixpence in old money.

Mr Corbyn’s video message was delivered at a special Unison gala dinner at the Cardiff City stadium, where she was presented with a birthday cake and the individual contributions of public service workers were also celebrated.
 
He said: “You’re a symbol of the world’s first comprehensive health service,  built on the principle that healthcare should be available to all on the basis of need, not ability to pay.

“I’ve heard you describe Bevan as a visionary. He was. Out of the rubble and the devastation of the second world war, he helped to build a compassionate, socialist healthcare system.

“It’s Labour’s and our country’s proudest achievement.”

But his tribute coincided with campaigners losing a legal challenge against planned US-style reforms that are said to “undermine the founding principles of the NHS.”

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt was accused of trying to open up the NHS to for-profit private companies through his plans to introduce accountable care organisations (ACOs), which would commission and deliver health services in local areas.

Campaign group JR4NHS said the proposed reforms would create “a secondary, non-statutory, non-accountable decision-maker … taking decisions about what will and will not be made available free at the point of use.”

The group warned ACOs “could easily be a private for-profit body”, such as Capita or Virgin Care, which would be tasked with providing A&E services, cancer care and mental health treatment among others.

Three doctors, a university professor and civil servant — with Professor Stephen Hawking before his death in March — brought the claim against Mr Hunt, claiming that the introduction of ACOs was unlawful.

Mr Justice Green dismissed the claim for judicial review, finding that the policy was “lawful” for existing clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to apply.

He said CCGs were “not obliged” to adopt the ACO model and, if they did, they had “discretion” over how to use it.

The High Court also ruled that, because the NHS was planning to undertake a “full consultative exercise” about the introduction of ACOs, the details of the proposals were a “work in progress.”

Mr Justice Green added that the claimants’ concerns “can be aired in the course of the consultation.”

Following the judgement, the four claimants — Colin Hutchinson, Allyson Pollock, Sue Richards and Graham Winyard — said they “deeply regret” the court’s verdict but would not be appealing against it.

They said: “Apart from the extra costs involved, our opponents have already been forced to change their plans.

“In order to win the case, they had to argue that ACO contracts were just like other provider contracts and not the fundamental change to the governance of the NHS that we know they intended.”

They added: “For us, the campaign moves out of the courtroom, at least for now, and continues in the local and political arenas and on to the consultation.”