Only Human After All

About Only Human After All

Step behind the scenes of hospital life with Only Human After All, a heartwarming and insightful podcast that introduces you to the extraordinary people who make healthcare happen. Hosted by Dr. James Thomas, a Deputy Medical Director, and Andrea Clegg, an Associate Director of Nursing, this series uncovers the personal stories of the individuals working tirelessly in our hospitals. Each episode shines a spotlight on a different member of the team, from surgeons and therapists to porters and IT staff. Through candid conversations, James and Andrea delve into their guests’ lives, exploring their childhoods, influences, passions, and the unique journeys that led them to healthcare. Only Human After All offers a fresh perspective on the human side of medicine, breaking down the barriers of uniforms and job titles to reveal the dedication, humor, and heart behind every role. Whether it’s a childhood dream fulfilled, a life-changing event, or an unexpected career path, each story is a reminder that every person has a tale worth telling. Engaging, inspiring, and often surprising, this podcast celebrates the diversity of experiences and the shared humanity that unites us all. Tune in weekly and discover the remarkable people who keep hospitals running—because, at the end of the day, we’re all only human after all.

Publisher

James Thomas

Category

health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

31 Mar 2025

Latest episode

21 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

31 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   21 Jun 2026

   Breathing Life into Healthcare Science; Emma Crookes

   Emma Crookes is the Respiratory and Sleep Physiological Science Service Manager at Sherwood Forest Hospitals. In this episode, she opens the door on healthcare science, one of the NHS's least understood professions. Emma explains how her team diagnoses and treats sleep apnoea, a condition affecting around 5% of the population that often goes unnoticed until a partner points out the snoring and breathlessness in the night. She talks through lung function tests, the psychology of getting nervous patients to blow into intimidating machines, and the 8,000 patients on CPAP treatment across the trust. She reflects on a career that started in equine sports science, a chance conversation with her auntie about a job advert, and twenty years building a service that sits under the healthcare science umbrella that most people have never heard of. Along the way she shares why she still does a little jig when she sees healthcare science listed as a career option for schoolchildren and why getting people moving despite breathlessness matters as much as any medication. A conversation about diagnosis, motivation and a profession working quietly behind the scenes to keep patients breathing easier.

2. 

   25 May 2026

   Preparing for the worst, living for today: Lauren Ward

   Lauren Ward plans for the moments nobody wants to imagine. As Emergency Planning and Business Continuity Officer, she helps ensure the NHS is ready for everything from major incidents to power failures and extreme weather. But behind her role lies an extraordinary personal story of RAF service, two cancer diagnoses in a single year, losing the career she loved and finding a new purpose helping others. A moving conversation about resilience, leadership, family and staying calm when life takes an unexpected turn.

3. 

   2 May 2026

   Cherry Lee: Leadership, Lorries and Living Life Unapologetically

   Cherry Lee has a shaved head, tattoos and piercings. She drives a lorry. She's the lead singer of an 80s/90s rock band called Thick Skinned. And she's one of the most thoughtful, strategic leaders you'll ever meet. Deputy General Manager for Surgery. Former jockey, former rugby player, former nurse, former ODP, former Surgical Care Practitioner. Someone who's learned that assumptions are usually wrong. Her journey includes a cardiac arrest at 19 that ended her sport career. Her parents consented to amputation. Surgeons in Scarborough saved her leg. A consultant told her: "Your sport career is over. But you've still got a life. So think about what you want to do." So she became a patient. Then institutionalized to hospital life. Then a nurse who saw ODPs doing the exciting bits in resus and thought "that's for me." Then operations. Then leadership. Six careers. Never settling for the status quo. Never letting anyone else define who she should be. Her advice to her younger self? "All the mistakes I've made have made me who I am. Just do what you want to in the moment and it'll take you where it needs to go." Don't judge the book by its cover. You'll miss the whole story.

Who has been a guest on Only Human After All

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Jo Freeman
• Andrea
• Rachel Gibbons
• Saroona Haroon
• Claire Etches

Podcast Authority Score: 21 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

43

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0

Contact Only Human After All

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.