During those 60 years, our society has changed radically; we have witnessed remarkable advances in medicine which mean we are healthier and now living longer – yet at some point every one of us will need the support of our caring services. Our health and social care service is there for everyone, at any time who is ill and in need of care and treatment. There is no charge, no need to worry about finding the money to take a sick child or elderly relative to see a doctor.

Nye Bevan’s key principle of a ‘cradle to grave’ health service, free at the point of delivery, is very much at the heart of my vision for the health service of the future and a legacy which we must all protect.

Over the last year I have been very privileged to get an insider view of how our health and social care system works. It is a complex system employing over 70,000 dedicated people to provide a vast range of health and social care services to our population of 1.7 million people.

In 2006/2007 518,722 people were treated as inpatients in hospitals across Northern Ireland. In the same year there were 7.34 million consultations with GPs. Every month in 2006 over two and a half million prescriptions were dispensed. This is only a flavour of activity but it brings home how much our service is used and relied upon and is down to the dedication of the staff throughout the service who deserve our gratitude.

Significant improvements have also been made to make the health and social care experience a much more positive one for patients and clients in Northern Ireland. People no longer have to wait years for an operation as waiting times have now been reduced to a few months. Trolley waits have been all but eliminated. We are also delivering more accessible care and support in the community, close to where people work and live.

Our health and social care services are changing. They must change if we are to continue to the meet the needs of a changing population. Compared with 1948 when the NHS was founded, diseases such as tuberculosis were the major cause of death. Now, whilst TB is virtually unheard off, we are facing other major public health challenges such as obesity and the impact of the misuse of alcohol as well as the need to tackle health inequalities. Our focus must therefore also be on prevention and improving the overall health of our population.

As Health Minister, I am committed to providing the high quality safe services the people of Northern Ireland deserve, and will do all I can to deliver on that promise. While the health and social care budget is large, around £4.3billion – it is also limited. I fought hard to get extra resources for services, treatment and drugs and the continuous new demands and challenges that face the health and social sector every day. This extra money – while still not enough to do all we would hope to do – will go some way to make a difference.