What does a National Health System look like from the inside?

The NHS is often praised as one of the world’s largest publicly funded healthcare systems, but behind the headlines and statistics are real people doing demanding jobs, often under incredible pressure. It’s a system where things don’t always go perfectly, yet at its heart, there’s a steadfast commitment to providing safe, compassionate care.

Healthcare is never just about medicine or machines. It’s about communication, teamwork, and the human effort that holds it all together. As I prepare for an entirely different experience in Sri Lanka, I’ve been reflecting on what I’ve learned here and what it really means.

To explore this more personally, I reached out to several colleagues and asked if they’d be open to having a few conversations with me. Many kindly agreed, and over the past week, I recorded conversations with staff in a range of roles (i.e., cardiographers, physiologists, nurses, department leads, and doctors) to better understand their experiences working in the NHS.

In the next post, and a few more after that, I’ll be sharing their stories. These reflections will highlight the strengths, challenges, and values that define healthcare in the UK. Later, I’ll compare these insights with what I experience during my project in Sri Lanka.

So stick with me. Grab a tea (or something stronger), and join me on this journey as I learn from the people who keep this system running.