STORIES about the NHS in crisis are never out of the newspapers.

There is a chronic lack of funding and it is clear our beloved health service faces some huge difficulties in the coming years.

However, among all the talk of politicians, budgets, trusts and chief executives, we often forgot the wonderful work that is going on in our hospitals.

Yesterday was a celebration of the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital which was marking its tenth anniversary at its new site at the Royal Sussex County Hospital.

Princess Alexandra dropped in to meet some of the staff as well as those behind the Rockinghorse charity, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

But there was no mistaking who the real star of the show was yesterday.

Little Esmae Hocken, who has spent half her life in and out of the Royal Alex, melted hearts as she presented Princess Alexandra with flowers.

Her parents could not speak highly enough of the staff at the hospital, particularly her play specialist Amy Farmer.

Esmae’s mother Terri summed it up. She said: “Having people like Amy here makes it a different environment for the children so that it doesn’t feel like a hospital – it makes it fun for them in a way. The whole place is just absolutely fantastic. We couldn’t ask for more from the hospital.”

There are dozens of people like Amy working across the hospital.

Each one of them do a fantastic job in incredibly difficult circumstance.

They are often forgotten in all the noise about the impending crisis but they are the beating heart of our NHS.