Reflections on the NHS: Challenges, Humanity, and the Unseen Care
In an opinion piece published on 29 December 2025, Anne Perkins shares her personal experience as a patient spending about six days in hospital under the National Health Service (NHS) with uncertain need for major surgery.
Perkins frames the NHS as a shared destination where patients and staff embark on the same journey, with everyone seen and counted. She describes ward care as both professional and compassionate, highlighting how nurses and carers provide essential time, safety, and warmth, offering care deeply underpinned by love.
The article illustrates daily care challenges through the presence of two elderly women with chronic conditions on the ward, including issues like incontinence and uncooperativeness, which underscore the complexity of hospital care.
Providing historical context, the author notes that the hospital was opened in the 1980s by Princess Anne, while also referencing past criticism of the NHS, such as from Nigel Lawson who once called it the national religion. Additionally, Perkins reflects on the National Theatre’s show 'Nye,' about Aneurin Bevan, expressing discomfort with his legacy.
Despite the NHS’s well-known challenges and costs, the article concludes that its humanity and value remain extraordinary and deserve recognition.
