The sixtieth anniversary of the NHS is an occasion worth celebrating.

I would like to start by paying tribute to our staff. The local NHS would be nothing without them. We should all be enormously thankful that we have such dedicated, hard working and highly skilled staff who are making such a difference to people's lives.

NHS 60 provides a unique opportunity to celebrate just how far the NHS has come since it was first set up in 1948 and, with the publication of Lord Darzi's review, it's also a time to look to the future and how we can make health services even better.

We are continually striving to raise standards and as part of our NHS 60 celebrations we will be out in the community talking to people about their experiences of the NHS through the years and hearing what they want from today's health service.

Listening to what people want is a really important part of what we do so if you see us out and about please come and tell us if we're getting it right.

Douglas Robertson, Chair, Surrey Primary Care Trust, Leatherhead