Priya's story

“ This April, I’m running the London Marathon in support of NHS Charities Together, a cause that means a great deal to me both personally and professionally.

As a doctor working in the NHS, I see every day just how much dedication, compassion and hard work goes into caring for patients. I also see the pressures, the long shifts and the toll it takes on staff. Supporting NHS workers and improving their wellbeing isn’t just important, it’s essential for the future of the service we all rely on.

I am a UK-qualified resident doctor in my first year of a six-year training programme to become an Emergency Medicine Consultant in London. I have just spent the last two years travelling and working in Australia in remote and rural locations, but I will be returning to the NHS because, put simply, I truly find it one of the most rewarding things, to work for a system I respect so much.

NHS health professionals are some of the most dedicated, hard-working people I have ever met. The general public understand the pressures of the job to some extent, but I don’t think anyone truly understands the sacrifices you make as an NHS worker unless you are one.

The missed birthdays, Christmases, Easters, weddings and parties. The ‘sorry I’m late’, ‘I won’t make it after all’ and ‘I wish I could, but I’m working’ are phrases that are all too common to my friends and family. That, coupled with the burnout and stress of a job like this, is enough for someone to question why you’d put yourself through it at all.

The answer is simple, the reward of genuinely making a difference to someone else’s health and wellbeing makes it the best job in the world.

I’m committed to improving mental health support for those who work alongside me in the NHS. Having experienced anxiety, burnout and stress myself, I know how important it is to care for yourself as well as others. I also know first-hand that the little things, small changes, support services and moments of care, really do make a difference.

I want to run the London Marathon to raise money for the NHS heroes I respect, admire and work alongside. It would be such a privilege to give back to a system I have dedicated my career to, and to help support the wellbeing of NHS staff for the future.”