Mid Sussex doctor who was born on the first day of the NHS celebrates 75 years

Dr Keith Hine MD FRCP from Ditchling was born on July 5, 1948, the first day of the NHS.

He was at the opening of Haywards Heath’s Princess Royal Hospital and is now retired. But he also worked as Medical Advisor to the Crown Tribunal Service until recently.

Dr Hine said: “I feel very honoured and blessed to have had the time in the NHS.”

Originally from south east London, he attended Dulwich College from 1959 to 1966, before attending the University of Birmingham. He graduated as a doctor in 1973, completing a BSc on the way. Among his many roles Dr Hine worked as an MRC clinical research fellow in Birmingham and a senior registrar in Nottingham and Derby. In 1984 he became a consultant physician and gastroenterologist at Cuckfield Hospital.

Dr Hine described the tough working conditions after graduation. He said: “When I was first appointed as a houseman, my contract was 168 hours a week, so for the first 12 months I lived in the hospital all the time. Some of that time you actually spent sleeping on the wards.”

But he said he had wanted to be a doctor from age seven, having been inspired by leprologist Dr Stanley George Browne.

He said Cuckfield Hospital had ‘a lovely family atmosphere in spite of the resources’, adding: “I went there as the only full-time physician. There were two other physicians. One did four sessions and the other did two sessions and I did the rest.”

Dr Hine transferred to Princess Royal Hospital, Haywards Heath, and was honoured to show Princess Anne around when she opened it in 1991. He also attended the 50th anniversary of the NHS at Westminster Abbey with Tony Blair and Prince Charles.

Dr Hine called the NHS is ‘unique’, saying: “I think it is still very good at dealing with emergencies, but it’s lost it’s way a bit dealing with routine work.”

He also feels that ‘continuity of care’ is something that needs to come back. He said: “I very much enjoyed the continuity of care where you could see a patient all the way through their illness, from the depths of their illness to the heights of recovery.”