Tessa's Story

Meet Tessa, a 32-year-old from Bermondsey and Old Southwark who wanted to train as a nurse but found her path blocked by central government funding decisions. In this episode of Blocked Britain, we explore how HM Treasury's budget constraints on Health Education England have created artificial limits on NHS training places, even as hospitals desperately need staff. Tessa's story illustrates how workforce planning failures in London stem from treating public investment as a cost to minimise rather than recognising that trained healthcare workers are essential infrastructure. The training capacity exists, willing candidates exist, but Westminster chose to cap the funding. Disclosure: This podcast challenges conventional economic narratives about public spending constraints.