I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into when I signed up to do an internship while studying abroad at London Metropolitan University. The possibility was exciting, but I didn’t know if the execution would be there. There was a chance I could get assigned to something unexpected, and it would go from a triumph to a tragedy. Instead, I found a position that perfectly aligned with my interests and career goals.
I got to intern with Your Voice in Health and Social Care, a non-profit organization focused on patient experiences with the healthcare industry. I worked as a Healthwatch Intern at their Healthwatch Tower Hamlets branch, mainly on their NHS App project, in which they gathered feedback from patients on their experience with the NHS App. I was tasked with interviewing patients at various General Practices in the Tower Hamlets borough.
Through this project, I got the chance to experience the UN Sustainability Goals in real time. Healthwatch looks to acknowledge inequalities within the UK Healthcare system and help find solutions to them. I got to take the time to speak with strangers and hear their issues, then work to help fix those. One specific example was getting to sit in a conference at a deaf care center. I watched as they discussed the challenges deaf people in Britain have when trying to contact emergency services. I listened to their complaints and heard about their new technology, which allows for video calling with an emergency operator. It was quite an experience to listen to a presentation through a translator, and it helped me realize why reducing inequalities is such an important goal and gave motivation to my own work.
By gathering feedback on the NHS App, I worked to improve the infrastructure and promote innovation for the NHS. The NHS App is a great resource for people in England, but many people struggle to use it. This leads to clinic calls, causing long wait times and unhappy patients. It also backs up the clinics, as receptionists have to spend hours on the phone instead of taking care of work at the site. Creating a better functioning app and getting clinics to help teach people how to use the app allows for smoother interactions. This boost in infrastructure will help benefit all people under the umbrella of the NHS.
Most importantly, Healthwatch showed me the importance of good health and well-being. I saw the struggles when people didn’t have good care, and I watched as inequality and lack of innovation damaged their health. It made the work I was doing more important, but also more exciting, because I knew I was helping people get to a better space. It turned into the exact internship I needed, one that prepped me for my career goals while also allowing me to practice and promote sustainability.
