NHS Worker Walks Two Hours Home In The Snow After 13-Hour Night Shift

People working in the UK's National Health Service are often everyday heroes, taking care of people in stressful circumstances and often with little reward.

Now one radiographer has shown her commitment to the NHS after walking 3.5 miles home in a snow storm despite having just finished a 13-hour night shift.

Laura Whitham, 25, who works at Ipswich Hospital, Suffolk, decided to walk the two-hour journey home through the blizzard yesterday morning after the roads were blocked by the severe weather, meaning her partner couldn't pick her up and buses were cancelled.

James Pawsey

Laura's boyfriend, James Pawsey, 33, who also works in the NHS as a trainee physician associate and usually drives her to and from work, snapped a photo of her from their balcony as she made it home, saying he was 'really proud' of her.

"I'm always really proud of Laura, but seeing her walk 3.5 miles after a 13-hour night shift made me even more so," James told The Mirror.

"When she's on nights, I usually pick her up when I wake up in the morning, but couldn't get the car out at all. It was stuck in masses of snow. All I could do was make her a hot chocolate when she got home."

PA

Laura had waited for a bus for a little while until she realised that they wouldn't be running due to the treacherous conditions.

According to James, she has been struggling to get to and from work all week as a result of the double-whammy of snow storms that are currently battering the UK.

While Laura had to go to work as normal, medical student James wasn't too fussed - all of his lectures were cancelled so he got to stay home studying and catching up on his notes. Lucky for some.

Thankfully, the snow in the east of England is beginning to clear and Laura was able to get a bus to the town centre this morning, making her journey to work far shorter.

James paid his respects to her and the rest of the staff at Ipswich Hospital who have been continuing to provide great care in difficult circumstances.

"I know everyone [at Ipswich Hospital] will still be treating patients like any other day, but there's no doubt the demand has increased and it's even busier at the moment," James said.

"Laura has been going in as usual - it's just taken her a little longer!"

It's just another example of NHS workers going above and beyond the call of duty to do their jobs and help the people who need them. Laura, we salute you.

Topics: UK News, News, NHS, Health

Chris Ogden

Chris Ogden is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from the University of East Anglia with degrees in English Literature and Creative Writing before completing his NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism. Chris has previously written for the independent culture magazine The Skinny, among other publications.

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