The NHS is doing a remarkable job and their work in the current situation is quite rightly getting the attention it deserves, but let’s be honest; they’ve always been brilliant. After chatting with the team, it opened our eyes to the impact this wonderful service has on all of us. NHS doing great things since 1948 and long may it continue.

Below are a few of our stories;

Simon – Recruitment Director

Back in 1978 I didn’t have a care in the World, 10 years old and we were off to Blackpool (the place to be back then). I couldn’t wait to get on the beach and run around with my brothers and sister, and at that age and time nobody really knew the dangers of the sun, so we never had any sun lotion on and rarely took cover from the rays. I ended up burning heavily on my back.

Move ahead 30 years and I found a small mole on my back, after going to see the GP I was sent to see a specialist who diagnosed the lump as Melanoma, this all happened very quickly. They removed some of the lump and tested again, unfortunately I needed an operation and was sent to Sheffield where they removed it all. Over the course of a year I was continuously monitored; nothing was too much trouble for the staff. I stand here now as a testament to their brilliant care, NHS heroes all of them.

A fact you might not know about me is that back in the 1990’s one of the many jobs I had after leaving school was as a porter at Doncaster Royal Infirmary. I gained a lot of my confidence from that role, talking to doctors, nurses and the patients. I seemed to be able to retain and store information really well which came in useful for the role I do now.

So, I have a lot to be thankful for and hold the NHS in the highest regard. They not only saved my life but gave me the skills to become a successful recruiter, the least we can all do is stand at the door and give them a clap one evening a week.

Paul – Recruitment Consultant 

We as a family have strong ties to the NHS – my mum, sister Sarah and brother in law Andy have all worked for the service in the past and currently my sister Jen, twin brother Chris and sister in law Donna are on the front line.

Jen is working at Doncaster Royal Infirmary with patients who are receiving chemotherapy, these patients are in the high-risk category so during the current crisis she is spending the majority of her time in her room to keep herself away from us. I also appreciate how tough it must be dealing with seriously ill people every day and to then come home and isolate and then go back to do it all again the next day.

My twin brother Chris is a trainee paramedic so is continuously putting himself at risk when he is visiting patients who need medical attention, he loves the job and is hoping to be qualified soon. And finally, my sister in law Donna is a rehabilitation assistant for the NHS who is helping people with various ailments to get back on their feet.

I’m immensely proud of all of them and all the NHS staff who are risking their health and their family’s health to beat this horrible virus.

On a personal footing, having had respiratory issues myself at the age of 5, the NHS helped me through pneumonia. As I was young and very sick, I don’t remember a lot and was pretty spaced out for the majority of it! The last thing I remember was being carried off the sofa and waking up in hospital.

The doctors and nurses were always attending to my needs and did a great job getting me fully fit and back to my mischievous young self. although I think the bag of cola bottle sweets my older brother brought into the hospital for me helped a bit!

What I think is great about the NHS is that they don’t just look after the patient, they support the families too which I know my family appreciated back then. They go above and beyond day in, day out and if one good thing comes from the current pandemic, I hope it’s that we all respect and value the NHS as much as they deserve. If the care I received is anything to go by then I’m sure we are in very safe and capable hands 

Mary – Senior Recruitment Administrator

 When I was 4, I lived for a few years in Germany on a British Army Camp near Osnabrück, this was whilst my dad was in Bosnia working alongside the UN Peacekeepers. Unfortunately, he was involved in an accident that saw him receive 2^nd & 3^rd Degree burns on his face and arms. After he was evacuated in a Chinook helicopter to the army hospital, it wasn’t long before he was transferred along with us, back to England.

Once in England he was placed in a NHS specialist burns unit. A few days after he arrived I was allowed to visit, and even though I was nervous because I hadn’t seen what he looked like yet, the nurses turned it into a fun game for me whilst helping me understand what had happened. My mum went in first and I stayed outside the room with a doctor who gave me his Pen Light so I could see the fish in the giant fish tank they had as he told me all their names.

I visited every day and the doctors and nurses on the ward soon got to know me, and I would have sweets waiting for me on arrival. My favourite part though was the ice cream! They knew I’d be visiting in the evening so the porters would bring me the small pots of vanilla ice cream other patients didn’t want after the dinner rounds; I’d sit and eat the ice cream and talk to my dad. 20 years on and my dad lives a normal life, albeit with scarring but I don’t remember him without it. If not for his treatment he would have died.

Even though it should have been a horrible experience for me, I have only good memories of the people I met and how they’d go out of their way to spend a few minutes with me. My mum works for the NHS now and I’ve had my own personal health dealings with them but that one stands out for me because I was so young.

It’s the little things the NHS do that makes the biggest difference.

John – Head of Marketing

I have a lot to thank the NHS for, aged 7 the school doctor noticed I had some issues (queue the jokes) and sent me for tests. These tests came back and it was found that I had a hole in my heart. This is a minor operation now but when I was diagnosed at age 7 this was a big deal.

We arrived at Killingbeck Hospital 18^th December and quickly integrated into the ward, I have to be honest it all seemed like a lot of fun at the time, kicking the football around the family room and losing control of the toy electric Police motorcycle and driving it into the Christmas Tree were highlights my mum would rather forget but I remember fondly.

The night before the operation I was given some anaesthetic and told not to cry and scare the other children, my hatred of needles stems from this time, however the nurses were fantastic and had this amazing ability to make you feel at ease with the whole situation.

Mum arrived as I was going to theatre and I’d been dosed up so thought the journey down was brilliant. Having been asked to count to 10 I think I got to three and I was gone. I emerged from the surgery after 4 hours dazed and wondering what the hell that yellow stuff was going around in the tubes, turns out it was my pee, they’d fitted a catheter and in my drugged-up state I thought it was hilarious.

When I fully regained consciousness I regained the ability to take in the extent of what had happened and see the cool scar that now adorned my chest. It looked like a squashed worm and once I’d got home that became my new nickname for a while (kids are great aren’t they). I was lucky enough to leave on the 24^th December just in time to celebrate Christmas.

One of the fondest memories I had during recovery was the look on my mum’s face when I asked the consultant if I could do Karate lessons, he said yes, mum was horrified. I’m now an active 41 year old who really can’t thank the NHS enough.