大象传媒

Every day, every corner of the National Health Service is buzzing with activity as the workforce continues to try to meet the health needs of the population - in hospitals, clinics, GP practices and out in the community.

Despite these efforts, the NHS is facing the toughest challenge of its 75 year history - still reeling in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 7 million people queuing for care and a workforce crisis never before seen. Dr Kevin Fong has worked as a doctor in the NHS for 25 years and, in this new series, he's telling the story of the NHS today and the challenges it faces, from the perspective of the people who deliver the care.

He looks at what created the challenges and how the teams on the frontline have risen to meet them. And along the way, he explodes some long-held myths about the NHS, in the hope that it helps us better understand the choices it faces and where the right solutions might lie.

In this episode, Kevin explores how the health service delivered on the extraordinary benefits it promised but, in so doing, became hostage to its own success, as it struggled to meet the increasingly complex needs of its patients.

NHS archive: Crown Copyright, British Film Institute

Written and presented by Dr Kevin Fong
Series Producer: Beth Eastwood
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
A TellTale Industries production for 大象传媒 Radio 4