A Teesside doctor, who cares for people with incurable illnesses, has won a competition after submitting a personal essay about the impact social class has on healthcare.
Dr Donna Wakefield, consultant in palliative medicine at the University Hospital of North Tees, took part in the 2025 ‘Wakley Prize Essay’. The international competition is run by The Lancet – one of the most prestigious medical journals in the world.
Her award-winning essay, “Home”, has now been published in the journal. It reflects how her own experiences have shaped her outlook on socio-economic and health inequalities and, in turn, the way she approaches patient care.
“Home”
Donna writes about growing up in a small flat in South Tyneside, and queuing at food banks, as the coal mining industry – and her father’s job – came to an end.
She observes the impact a low income has on health, including her grandfather’s asbestos ‘snowball fights’ at work, and watching those around her die of lung cancer at a time where cigarette boxes came with incentives like restaurant vouchers.
At school, Donna was told “people like you do not become doctors” – a phrase that became motivation for her. When she was accepted into medical school in 2003, around 5% of medical students came from a similarly disadvantaged background.
She has worked at the University Hospital of North Tees as a consultant for six years now. Her role sees her providing care to patients with life-limiting illnesses and those at the end of their life.
Donna said: “It has been the biggest honour of my life to win The Lancet’s Wakley Prize. It has provided an opportunity to write and reflect on my personal experiences and how they have shaped my practice as a clinician and researcher.
“Social class and the social determinants of health have a significant impact on the lives of our patients. Clinicians with their own lived experience must be embraced into the profession and not deterred by the unequal power balance felt due to our own social disadvantage.
“It is vital that we recognise and tackle health inequalities as an NHS organisation and ensure that we are delivering fairer care to those who need it most.”
Published work in The Lancet
Founded in 1823, The Lancet is one of the world’s oldest medical journals. Its annual essay competition, named after journal’s founder, Thomas Wakley, draws submissions from all over the world.
In addition to her prize-winning essay, Donna was also published in the Lancet’s January 2026 eClinicalMedicine journal. Her research article studies the inequalities people with lung disease face when accessing palliative care.
She presented this work at the World Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care held in Finland in 2025. She was also awarded the Dorothy Robson prize for Palliative Medicine from Hull York Medical School.