TRACY Evans started working at Musgrove Park Hospital 37 years ago, but she still strives every day to learn and to improve the service patients are offered.

Mrs Evans, community services director with Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, also has personal reasons for being grateful to the NHS.

Coming from a nursing background, her job is to support a range of community services.

She said: "Community services have always been around. It's about treating people closer to home or in their own home.

"We're always looking to improve and looking at new ways of working to improve care in the community."

Mrs Evans started at Musgrove the same day as Karen Triggs, who works in the tissue viability service, and the two remain firm friends to this day.

"I've made a lot of friends over the years," said Mrs Evans.

"I feel privileged every day to work in the NHS, being able to get up, come to work and make a difference to patients.

"There's always something to learn and to improve.

"My son Josh had a long term condition (diabetes) and was supported by the paediatric team. That drives me outside work to support the trust fund to support children with diabetes."

(Sadly North Petherton rugby player Josh Evans, died in a car crash aged just 21 in October 2008 after his blood sugar level dropped).

Mrs Evans added: "We're very lucky to have the NHS. The people within the NHS make it. They always go the extra mile.

"We need to work with our patients to provide efficient, high quality services.

"If people are ever dissatisfied with the service, we should learn from that to do better next time.

"We have a lot of feedback from users of our services."

Referring to the 70th anniversary, she said: "It makes you reflect on my 37 years and look at the pateints I've looked after, the staff I've worked with, the inspirational leaders I've worked with.

"The NHS is a big family and I've found friends for life."

*Watch out for more NHS at 70 stories from Musgrove throughout the day.