NHS at 75: 'The NHS made me what I am today'

Staff who have worked at Hinchingbrooke Hospital for decades speak warmly about their careers in the NHS

"The NHS - that's what's made me, 'me'."

These are the words of Beverley Balls, 63, who began her career as a hospital cleaner and now runs many of the behind-the-scenes facilities that keep Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Cambridgeshire running smoothly.

As the NHS celebrates its 75th year, she and others who work at the hospital share their reasons for joining - and sticking - with the institution they hold so dear.

'NHS means the world'

When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Beverley Balls' retirement plans were put on hold

Beverley Balls says she was not very good at school, but the NHS has made her who she is today.

Now Hinchingbrooke Hospital's estates and facilities administrator, she is one of almost 1,900 staff working there.

"I came out of school with minimum education - I was a rebel of a person - not attending school most of the time," she says.

"I came to the NHS and they have rewarded me, and I've had opportunity after opportunity to get qualifications and I thank them for that. The NHS - that's what's made me, 'me'."

Beverley Balls started working in the NHS more than 40 years ago

Ms Balls says she does not have a day when she does not want to go into work.

"It's so varied, there's always something happening," she says.

"I think the core values of the NHS are my core values, so I think that's why I'm like I am. What I see in the NHS is how I would like to be treated - how I'd like my family to be treated."

She helps sort the "building blocks of the hospital", such as broken dishwashers and showers, and deploys teams of plumbers and electricians to fix them.

"Without all these teams, everyone else wouldn't be able to do their jobs," she says.

Her long career within the NHS began in 1980 as "a domestic at the old county hospital" and she later moved to Hinchingbrooke while it was still being built.

She transferred to the catering department, becoming a night shift supervisor after just one week in the job.

"I was there 30 years," she recalls - and she is still at the hospital she loves.

'Bringing life into the world'

Midwife Wei McIver had her own three children at the maternity ward where she works

Hospital midwife Wei McIver, 59, came to the UK from Malaysia 40 years ago and trained as an international student nurse.

She has worked at Hinchingbrooke Hospital since it opened its doors in 1983, moving to the maternity unit when she became a fully qualified midwife in 1995.

"Nursing and midwifery qualifications in the UK are recognised worldwide and that's why I wanted to do my training here," she says.

Wei McIver came to the UK from Malaysia to train as a nurse

Asked why she has stayed at the hospital for so long, Ms McIver says: "Because I love Hinchingbrooke.

"Staff go above and beyond to give good care to women and their babies, and staff are very supportive - very friendly.

"So much so that when I was pregnant with each of my three daughters, I chose to give birth among my colleagues on Labour Ward at Hinchingbrooke... I wouldn't have trusted anyone else."

She describes the NHS as "a fantastic, amazing institution".

"It's a free service at the point of care, irrelevant of your background and that's why the NHS is so special."

Over the decades she has helped "countless" mothers, adding: "It's lovely to bring life into the world."

'Challenging times'

"I'm privileged and proud to be part of an amazing team", says Dr Arshiya Khan

Dr Arshiya Khan, 51, is the deputy chief executive of the hospital trust.

"I joined the NHS because I looked at the service I was getting in the NHS and... coming from a country and background where we didn't have free service, the principles and values of the NHS were absolutely remarkable," she says.

"That just attracted me and I've not regretted that for a single day. No matter how hard the day is, it just helps me to climb out of bed, because I'm coming to work alongside some very remarkable colleagues who are doing great stuff for our local people."

She says she is "privileged and proud to be part of an amazing team" at Hinchingbrooke.

"[The] NHS has made great strides over the years and that's really clear from the life expectancy and how that has improved, so absolutely well done to everyone in the NHS and the hard work - especially over the Covid years - that's really proven the worth of the NHS."

She admits "these are challenging times for the NHS, dealing with post-Covid waiting lists".

"But we must not lose the optimism and the principles - and the values of the NHS," she adds.

Follow East of England news on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Got a story? Email [e-mail] or WhatsApp us on 0800 169 1830