NHS: In Good Health? Andrea Byrne reflects on her week on the road for the Wales at Six special

As a news anchor on Wales at Six, so often I find myself leading from the studio on a story about missed ambulance responses, so-called 'bed-blocking' or the alleged mistreatment of patients in our hospitals.

This week has been different. Very different. Our team has been out on the road for a series called 'NHS: In Good Health?'. I've been hosting the show from locations around the country. We've been to the Welsh Ambulance Service Control Room in Llanfairfechan in Conwy, North Wales; Neath Port Talbot Hospital in South Wales; Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in Denbighshire and the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff.

Despite the strain the Welsh NHS is under and the criticism it has been receiving of late, the aim of our coverage was to get behind the headlines and speak to the patients - and the people who are dealing with them on a day-to-day basis. We wanted to find out about how hard they are working to make a difference even though they are working under constant scrutiny.

It has been an eye-opening journey. I met ambulance call-handlers in the control room who are working 12-hour shifts answering calls throughout the day which could make the difference between life and death. I met a lady who had a fall on the bus and although she wanted to go to her doctor, she had come to an Emergency Unit because she said she would have had to wait in the cold in a queue at her local doctors for up to an hour to try to get an on-the-day appointment.

This emphasised to me the extent to which nothing in the NHS runs in isolation. It's lots and lots of cogs in a huge machine. For instance, GPs are under their strains and under pressure to meet targets, and then patients might end up at A&E instead. That then means ambulances can't drop off patients and they in turn get held up getting to another call....

The important thing to remember is that WE can all help IF we know the other choices available to us. And as the media, it's been a great opportunity this week to get the message across about those choices - from Minor Injury Units to Community Pharmacies for instance.

So, not only have I had a hugely beneficial insight in to the logistics of the NHS in Wales, but I've also met some superb people dedicated to caring for you and I when we need it the most - and for that they deserve our praise and respect. And it's been fantastic to see so many of you getting in touch on social media or email and using the hashtag #itvgoodhealth and telling us your positive experiences of treatment. No doubt a great morale boost for the people working day in, day out to save lives.