• Question: What do you think the most important role within health and social care is?

    Asked by Lucy to Simon, Shehla, Katharine, Jonathan, Emma, Chris on 12 Jun 2017.
    • Photo: Jonathan Harte

      Jonathan Harte answered on 12 Jun 2017:

      An excellent but tough question.
      I would say the role of a carer to someone is one of the most important.

      This is because a good carer can prevent someone from needing to see me so often, can prevent problems that would make the person end up in hospital, provides a crucial social role to the frail elderly population and the young disabled population, allowing them to maintain a relatively independent life in their own home.

      After that it’s obviously the GP as the first port of call to 90% of patients contacting the NHS.

    • Photo: Emma Rowe

      Emma Rowe answered on 12 Jun 2017:

      Sitting on the fence here. I don’t think that any one role is the most important. Everyone works together. A doctor can’t do what a nurse can do and vice versa. I have no idea what health visitors do, and they probably have little idea of what I do. We all need each other to get the best outcomes for the patient.

    • Photo: Katharine Bradbury

      Katharine Bradbury answered on 12 Jun 2017:

      That’s a really good question.
      I think it’s the qualities of the person and the compassion they show rather than the job title that is important. People in distress always remember the words used to break bad news, the time spend sitting with them, the offer of a tissue and a cup of tea. There are so many small acts of kindness performed by NHS staff each day and we don’t always recognise and celebrate them

    • Photo: Christopher Symonds

      Christopher Symonds answered on 13 Jun 2017:

      I believe that everyone from the receptionist to the consultant and all those in between have a vital role to play within the overall Healthcare environment in ensuring that patients are dealt with professionally and with dignity.

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