Celebrations are being held across Kent to mark the 70th anniversary of the National Health Service today.

Since it was formed in 1948 with the ambitious aim of providing quality treatment for all, it has transformed the lives of patients across the UK.

Here, one Kent nurse reflects on how healthcare in Kent has changed over the years.

After receiving her first nurse's outfit at just two years old, Jeanette Smith knew exactly what she wanted to be when she grew up.

Training at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital, the 58-year-old says it was very different to today's nursing training.

She said: “I started my training in 1978, a time when women were still were encouraged into one of three roles; a nurse, a teacher or a secretary. Nursing used to be much more hierarchical and sisters in those days were to be feared and nobody used first names.

"Nowadays we have more of a collaborative and open culture. Nursing was previously seen as more of a vocation, whereas it’s now a profession in its own right and doctors work with us and we have autonomy to make our own decisions.

"Medicine has advanced phenomenally over the past 40 years, especially around medicine and diagnostics.

"For example, we didn’t have MRI equipment. Cervical, prostate and breast screening didn’t happen either. This ultimately meant we used to see patients at more advanced stages of disease, when treatment needed to be more invasive and there was a greater risk of complications."

The mum-of-two moved to the Chaucer Hospital 20 years ago, where she sees a mixture of private and NHS patients.

"I love my job and the NHS is so important," she said. "I left the Kent and Canterbury to go to the Chaucer for a promotion but I also left the hospital after it was downgraded, as it just was not the same."

Jeanette said one of the areas that has seen the biggest transformation in her career is care of the elderly.

She said: "It’s hard to believe that some of my first patients were officially Victorians. In the 1970s, once you reached 70 years of age, you were automatically deemed ‘geriatric’ and geriatrics ‘belonged’ in cottage hospitals and convalescent homes.

"This is in stark contrast to today where we promote independence in older adults and encourage home care as much as possible."

Jeanette now leads the nurse training programme at the Chaucer Hospital.

Education is another area of nursing which has changed significantly over the years. As well as the practical element of patient care, there is now a real emphasis on critical thinking.

Nurses are trained to be more autonomous in their role, to be able to prioritise their workload and to be confident in making decisions for the benefit of their patients.

The 70th anniversary coincides with the health service's biggest-ever recruitment drive - and workers at east Kent hospitals are at its centre.

Staff from the William Harvey and QEQM take a starring role in the We are the NHS campaign, which highlights their every day work.

It is being featured nationwide as a TV advert, in newspapers, on social media, and at bus stops and tube stations.

Among them is Michelle Eaton, who works in the cardiac catheter lab at William Harvey. She said: “I qualified as a nurse 20 years ago. I love my job and I work with a great team so it was really important to me to be part of a national campaign bringing more nurses into the profession.

“I started working as a general nurse across the different specialties in the hospital. I have tried different nursing roles in my career so far; there are so many you can try. I find cardiac nursing really rewarding because you have such a positive impact on patients.

“There are many more specialist nurses roles on offer to people today than when I first starting working in the NHS. It’s a really diverse and rewarding career, both within and outside the hospital.”

The campaign aims to increase the total number of applications into the NHS by 22,000 as well as double the numbers of nurses returning to practice and improve retention of staff.

Caroline Mackenzie, a surgical matron who is also one of the stars of the campaign, said: “I wanted to be a nurse since I was eight years old, as I saw the nurses who supported my granny as she was dying. I began training in the 1980s, and have worked here at the William Harvey ever since.

“I have been a nurse for 32 years, and every day is completely different but I love my job as much as I did when I was 18."

East Kent Hospitals chief executive Susan Acott said: “We have amazing staff here at East Kent Hospitals and this campaign has been a great opportunity for them to show the fantastic job they do every day to care for patients."