The Prince of Wales and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer have paid tribute to the NHS ahead of a nationwide round of applause to mark its 72nd anniversary.

People will be encouraged to clap at 5pm on Sunday as a way of saying thank you to NHS staff who have worked throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

The initiative follows the success of the weekly Clap for Carers, and it is hoped the applause will become an annual tradition.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will meet NHS workers in the Number 10 garden on Sunday afternoon, while public buildings including the Royal Albert Hall, Blackpool Tower and the Shard have been lit up blue in tribute to the health service.

Speaking at a Downing Street press conference on Friday, Mr Johnson urged the public to clap for “those who have worked tirelessly and selflessly to help the nation get through this pandemic”.

Both Sir Keir and Charles paid tribute to the NHS in separate messages on Sunday.

Charles said: “The current pandemic means that the NHS – and the entire country – has been through the most testing time in the service’s history.

“Our remarkably selfless nurses, doctors, paramedics and countless other staff have made costly sacrifices to provide treatment for more than a hundred thousand patients with coronavirus and thousands more who needed other care.

“And, in tribute to them, we have come together as a nation to thank them for their skill, professionalism and dedication.”

Meanwhile, Sir Keir said the health service had a personal resonance for him as his late mother was a nurse and later relied on the NHS as she became ill.

He said: “Many, many times she got gravely ill and it was the NHS that she turned to, and I remember as a boy, a teenager, being in high dependency units, in intensive care units, with my mum, watching nurses and other support staff keep my mum alive.

“They did that on more than one occasion – it’s etched in my memory. For them, it was just the day job. They were doing that every day.

“So, it’s very personal for me and I’m very grateful to the NHS and my mum was very grateful, she loved the NHS through the many decades that she absolutely depended on them.”

On Saturday, people observed a minute’s silent and lit candles in remembrance of those who have died during the coronavirus pandemic.

The nationwide clap has been organised following a letter from the Together coalition, in which influential figures including NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens and the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby voiced their support for making July 5 an official day of commemoration.

Sir Simon said he hoped the public will use the anniversary as an opportunity to “say a heartfelt thank you” to hospital staff.