NHS 75: A spotlight on Lantum's former NHS staffers

We celebrated the 75th anniversary of the NHS with a series from our very own team who used to work in it.

Here are the full stories. 

Joe Pringle

What did you do in the NHS and for how long? 

I was an operational manager across several departments at both the University Hospitals of Leicester and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. I was in the NHS for five years!

What was your favourite thing about working for the NHS?

The people you work with, especially the clinical colleagues I worked with on the wards during my time at Leicester Children’s Hospital. You go through such stressful and difficult situations, but the bond you all have and the lengths you’ll go for each other is unparalleled. 

What is the best NHS innovation?

I would say keyhole surgery - it has revolutionised surgery recovery times. Also, the bouncy floors in wards for geriatric patients have prevented many serious injuries on wards. 

What is your favourite NHS memory? 

My sister is a paramedic and one day things were going so badly that my day started at 6 am and I was still in the hospital past midnight on call. During that day the pressure was so bad, but I bumped into my sister who had just handed over a patient to the team in A&E. The hug and 30 seconds of normality carried me through! 

What is the best thing about the NHS?

The fact that it remains free at the point of access for all is truly incredible and something we must all fiercely protect. The amount of people I’ve seen treated and saved in just five years who wouldn’t have been able to access their care if they had to pay for it is scary. We must never forget how fortunate and lucky we are to have the NHS. 

What are you grateful to the NHS for? 

When I was 18 and at Freshers Week I had appendicitis and just thought I was hungover. Luckily I went to see a GP at a UTC who booked me a bed immediately and I had surgery that night. Turns out a near-perforated appendix is not the same as a hangover. 

Also, I’m extremely grateful for all the training and opportunities I was given at such a young age at the start of my career. It was difficult, but the NHS gave me the foundations for my career and made me realise nothing is that particularly stressful outside of a hospital. 

Tom Swallow

What did you do in the NHS and for how long? 

During my four years in the NHS, I worked as an Extended Access HUB lead in Ealing CCG, whilst also supporting as part of the practice management team for one of the CCG practices.

Following this I went on to become the Assistant Director of Operations for West London GP Federation, working closely with NWL ICB on the provision of primary care at scale services in the bi-borough area.

What was your favourite thing about working for the NHS?

My favourite thing was definitely the comradery you experienced day in and day out with colleagues. Working closely with clinical leadership teams and front-line staff throughout the pandemic, just highlighted how quickly the entire system bands together for the common good of our patients. 

What changes/developments in the NHS are you most excited about?

I’m excited for the next chapter of digital transformation within NHS systems and how this interlinks with MDT staffing models like the ARRS scheme. Having these digital interfaces to direct patient care to the most specialised service available, will have a great benefit to the overall patient experience & treatment plan. 

What is your favourite NHS memory?

This is probably from the first week of my time at West London GP Federation, where I acted as operational lead in the emergency tri-borough triage response for Afghan evacuees following the Taliban takeover. Working closely with my clinical leadership team, local authority colleagues, public health colleagues and military personnel, we launched a safe and effective triage response in just under three days. 

What are you excited about over the next 75 years for the NHS?

I’m excited to see the continued resilience of the NHS in this ever-changing healthcare landscape. The system is constantly evolving and with advancements in digital integration and even AI in the coming years, I can’t wait to see how it evolves. 

What are you grateful to the NHS for? 

I’m grateful for all the experiences and training the NHS has provided me, staff development was always highlighted to me as a core part of all my roles within the NHS. It supported not only my professional growth but also my personal growth. Roles within the NHS are some of the most challenging that you’ll face but they are also by far the most rewarding. 

Pam Chahal

What did you do in the NHS and for how long? 

I worked in the NHS for 15 years working across various different hospitals in Kent, Surrey & Sussex. I worked in various bank offices and managed temporary staffing for Nurses, AHPs & admin staff. 

What was your favourite thing about working for the NHS?

The people were the best thing about working in the NHS. From staff members that I would have interactions with day to day to my colleagues. It always felt like one big family, and when times were hard everyone would really rally together and support each other.

What is the best NHS innovation?

For me, this would be the NHS prevention programmes.

What is your favourite NHS memory?

When I was a rota manager we had one exceptionally bad weekend where we were so short-staffed and were unable to find cover for a number of on-call shifts. My colleague and I stayed at the hospital until 10 pm with two rota managers from other divisions helping us to find staff. It was so amazing to see others give up their time too when it really was not their responsibility to stay and support us but they did because the mentality is we are one big family.

What is the best thing about the NHS?

The fact that it is free for all who are or enter the country is amazing. The level of care that you receive and the effort that staff put in I highly commendable

Are you grateful to the NHS for anything? 

I am extremely grateful to NHS as I spent 15 years working across various different hospitals, meeting so many different people and being supported to grow in my career.

Dom Bennett

What did you do in the NHS and for how long?

I was a patient services administrator at Trumpington Street Medical Practice in Cambridge for two years full-time and around three years part-time.

What was your favourite thing about working for the NHS?

I loved the feeling of direct impact when helping the patients. People from all walks of life would come in with a whole variety of problems they needed help with and the whole practice team would all band together to give them the best care they could. It was such a rewarding job when you could see how much even little things like chasing a prescription query meant to a patient.

What changes/developments in the NHS are you most excited about?

Personally, I’m most excited about the development of genomics within the NHS through initiatives like Genomics England and the NHS Genomic Medicine Service. Advances here have been incredible recently allowing early identification of genetic predispositions to various diseases and diagnosis of rare genetic disorders.

I’ve seen the effects of this firsthand within my own family and am really excited to see how it’s going to develop more in the future as I think it will revolutionize treatment for these rare diseases and disorders and hopefully eradicate them entirely.

What are you excited about over the next 75 years for the NHS?

I’m excited to see the constant innovation and resilience of the whole system to adapt to the constant pressures and ever-changing healthcare landscape. Especially with the growth of AI, genomics, and other cutting-edge technologies, I think the next 75 years of the NHS will be really exciting to watch.

Are you grateful to the NHS for anything?

I’m grateful to the NHS for everything it has done for my family. For the long fulfilling careers it has given many of my family and for the care it has given me and my family members. Without the high-quality care available for free at the point of use I wouldn’t be here today.

Thank you to Joe, Tom, Pam, and Dom for sharing their insights. Happy 75th Birthday, NHS! Here's to the next 75.