Focusing on achievements

What a glorious summer it has been and how wonderful for athletes all over the world to be able to come together and join in a well-organised and long-awaited Olympic Games. Tokyo certainly stepped up and even raised the bar by introducing new sports and a new generation of athletes to represent their countries. Team GB did not disappoint, coming home with 65 medals, equal to their achievements of 2012 (BBC News, 2021). The daily news of Team GB's success was a welcome respite from the COVID-19 negativity that has blighted life for the past 18 months.

When I saw the Olympic motto: Faster, Higher, Stronger—Together, I immediately thought about what we in the NHS have achieved over the past 18 months. COVID-19 hit us like a tsunami and after the horrific initial wave, we were able to pick ourselves up and provide care at a level this NHS has never seen before. The rapid production of a world class vaccine and the subsequent vaccination programme has put the UK at the forefront of medical achievements. This has been made possible by collaborating with other world-class teams, industry and healthcare systems of all shapes and sizes. But at what cost?