2026
GP · Author · Medical writer · Broadcaster
Medicine,
clearly told.
Medical writing • Media commentary • Speaking
I help editors, producers and organisations turn complex health issues into clear, evidence-based writing, commentary and talks.
Featured in
Now
Latest work
About
A life in medicine, lived widely.
Clinical practice, global experience and a writer’s instinct for the story behind the system.
Dr Ellen Welch is a GP, author and medical commentator based in Cumbria. Since qualifying from the University of Liverpool in 2004, she has built an unusually broad clinical career across the NHS and around the world.
Her work has included expedition medicine on Mount Kilimanjaro, a season as a ski field medic in New Zealand and more than a decade as a senior ship’s doctor. That breadth now informs her writing on general practice, women’s health, the NHS and the conditions in which healthcare is delivered.
Ellen’s aim is simple: to make medicine understandable without making it simplistic, and to connect policy debates with the people who live their consequences.
Recognition
Writing with clinical weight and a public voice.
Ellen’s publications have received awards from the British Medical Association and the Medical Journalists’ Association. Her work has appeared across national press, medical journals, television and radio.
Books
Healthcare, made human.
Practical clinical guides and accessible histories of the NHS, grounded in frontline medicine.
2024
Why Can’t I See My GP?
The past, present and future of general practice, told through history, frontline testimony and practical ideas for change.View book →
2022
How the NHS Coped with Covid-19
An account of how the health service and its people responded to an unprecedented public health emergency.View book →
2021
The NHS: The Story So Far
A vivid, accessible history of the health service and the political choices that have shaped it.View book →
2018
The NHS at 70
A living history of the NHS, from its founding principle to the people who have kept it going.View book →Writing
Ideas for a healthier conversation.
Medical journalism, opinion and professional writing that brings evidence, policy and lived experience onto the same page.
Medical Women’s Federation
The NHS isn’t ready for a hotter Britain
Why heat-resilient buildings and safer clinical temperatures are now patient-safety issues.
Read articleWhy Can’t I See My GP?
Why GPs have stopped doing unfunded hospital work
How shifting work into general practice without resources creates hidden risk for patients.
Read articleWhy Can’t I See My GP?
Is it unrealistic to expect to finish work on time as a doctor?
A humane look at workload, professional expectations and the realities of caring responsibilities.
Read articleThe BMJ
The honourable doctor: learn from this book and listen to those who speak up
An editorial on the human and institutional duty to listen when healthcare workers raise concerns.
Read articleThe Guardian
The consequences of monetising the NHS
Why charging patients is not the remedy for a health service under sustained pressure.
Read articleDr Ellen Welch on Substack
Why Can’t I See My GP?
Essays, analysis and frontline voices on general practice, medical work and the future of the NHS.
Read articleMedia
A calm, clear voice on health.
Available for evidence-based medical commentary, live interviews, documentaries, radio and podcasts.
TV
Television
Live interviews, news analysis and evidence-led commentary.
View listings → RadioRadio
Broadcast conversations on the NHS, general practice and health.
View listings → ListenPodcasts
Longer-form conversations about medicine, writing and public life.
View listings → EventsTalks & events
Festival appearances, panels, lectures and public conversations.
View listings →
Featured conversation · Podcast
Ship doctor, author & thought leader
A conversation about a medical career that moved from cruise ships and expeditions into general practice, publishing and public leadership.Watch the conversation →TelevisionSky News
What the latest NHS waiting-time figures mean
↗︎RadioLBC
Public satisfaction with the NHS reaches a record low
↗︎ConversationBradford Literature Festival
Why Can’t I See My GP? with Dr Nighat Arif
↗︎Quoted, featured and published by
BBC News · Sky News · ITV · LBC · The Guardian · The Times · The BMJ
Health advocacy
Better systems begin with honest stories.
Ellen works with doctors and medical organisations to make the realities of healthcare visible, turn evidence into public understanding and keep patients and staff at the centre of policy.
Explore Doctors’ Association UK“Medicine needs more than good evidence. It needs language people can trust, and the courage to describe what is really happening.”
Current roles
- Co-chair, Doctors’ Association UK
- Campaigns and social media, Medical Women’s Federation
- NHS GP in Cumbria
Campaign themes
- NHS workforce and general practice
- Women’s health and women in medicine
- Climate-resilient healthcare
- Clear patient communication
Work with me
Clinical insight, clearly expressed.
For editors, producers, event organisers and organisations that need credible medicine communicated with warmth and precision.
Medical writing
Clear, rigorous health features, columns, patient information and professional publications.
Media commentary
Evidence-led expert interviews and analysis for television, radio, podcasts and print.
Speaking
Keynotes, panels, webinars, guest lectures and thoughtful chairing for health audiences.
Editorial consultancy
Clinical content review, story development and editorial guidance for health organisations.
Brand advisory
Credible medical insight for responsible health campaigns, partnerships and products.
Advocacy & campaigns
Strategic communications that connect lived professional experience with practical change.
Contact
Have a story, brief or broadcast in mind?
Tell me what you’re working on, the audience and your deadline.