This is the last post in my Broomfield series.
I wanted to end with a voice that reflects both the everyday reality of the NHS and its wider challenges. My conversation with Dr. DiMarco, a consultant cardiologist, brought together many of the themes that have run though this series: capacity, collaboration, and the delicate balance between stability and strain.
Behind the Routine
Dr. DiMarco’s day begins early.
“I usually arrive between 07:45-08:15 and start with emails, results, reports. Then the clinical side begins: outpatient clinics, ward rounds, cath lab lists, multidisciplinary meeting. I leave about 18:30-19:00”
But every eight weeks, his routine shifts.
“Every eight weeks, I cover the inpatient cardiology ward, which means a 12-day stretch managing patients and acute referrals.”
Each step in his patient’s care builds on the one before.
“Patients are clerked, investigated, seen by a consultant. If they’re transferred to cardiology, it’s usually for further tests or procedures. Once stable, they’re discharged with follow-up plans.”
The Pressure Points
This ryhthm often breaks under pressure.
“Delays are usually ecountered in primary care, in emergency due to overcrowding, getting tests done, and waiting for procedures because of high volumes.”
The reason is simple.
“Funding is tight, staff aren’t being replaced, recruitment is frozen: fewer people for more patients.”
Still, some things remain strong.
“I work in a service where care is free at the point of delivery, where all NICE- approved treatments are available. Collaboration is excellent between specialists. I also have access to the right diagnostics to investigate thoroughly.”
And it’s not just local teamwork that matters.
“I stay up to date with recommendations and discoveries by regular CPD. I’m currently at the ESC/World Heart Congress in Madrid, for example.”
People, Process, Equipment
He was clear about what the NHS depends on most:
“Withough the right people using the right equipment and following the right process, the system would not work.“
Closing Thoughts
Writing this series has made me realize that the NHS is built on a constant balancing act. It’s not just people, and it’s not just process. It’s the tension between the two. On one side are the human elements: staff working long hours, patients moving through wards, conversations that build trust. On the other, the structures that either enable or block those moments: funding, diagnostics, and international guidelines applied in local care. Dr. DiMarco’s mention of Madrid highlighted this perfectly, how decisions made at a global stage can directly shape the care patients receive here in Chelmsford. That connection, from a world congress hall to a cardiology ward, is something we don’t always see, but it’s happening all the time.
What I’m taking away from Broomfield isn’t just that healthcare is “about the people.” Care exists in layers. It’s in the bedside conversation, yes, but also in the policies that shape waiting lists, the equipment that makes treatment possible, and the research that raises standards across borders. From Fiona to Syreeta, George to Adam, and finally Dr. DiMarco, each perspective has shown me how collaboration, adaptability, and innovation all combine to keep the system moving.
And yet, even in a system as established as the NHS, the pressures are impossible to ignore. Staff are stretched, patient volumes are high, and even the best teams can feel the strain. The question is whether this fragile balance can last. Can the NHS keep delivering care at the quality we expect, or will the future ask us to rethink how we care for people entirely? Perhaps by shifting more care into homes, using AI to spot problems earlier, and giving prevention the same focus as treatment?
That debate is open, and perhaps my next step (looking at Sri Lanka’s very different reality) will offer some perspective.
With that, I close the Broomfield series.
Exploring Healthcare with Beatriz Batista 
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