Published on: 19th January 2026
A Bury resident has thanked NHS Bury Talking Therapies for helping her overcome a long-standing phobia of medical settings, which led her to dread vital GP appointments, hospital visits and blood tests.
Becky Ashworth, 28, was supported by the service after she was forced to face her fears during a health scare last summer.
Becky was in her early teens when her phobia began. After her mother fell ill, she visited her in hospital and started to associate hospitals, doctors and clinical spaces with high levels of distress.
Years later, her fear intensified after visiting her great-grandmother in hospital. She explained: “In my mind it was the environment around me causing the negativity. On one occasion, I nearly fainted at my great-grandmother’s bedside. “It really shook me, and I blamed the hospital for making me sick, rather than the likelihood I was overwhelmed and hadn’t eaten that morning.”
As time went on, Becky struggled with medical appointments and would experience severe anxiety, sometimes having panic attacks in the waiting room. Everything changed when she noticed blood in her poo and knew it could be a sign of bowel cancer. She said: “I couldn’t ignore it. I booked an appointment with my GP and immediately felt my anxiety levels rising.”
When she arrived at her appointment, Becky was shaking and crying uncontrollably. “I was an absolute mess, even the thought of going for a chat made me feel out of control, the fear completely took over.”
“Rather than being anxious about my health and what the tests would show, I could only think about how scared I was of needing medical interventions and more appointments.”
She was placed on the bowel cancer pathway. Thankfully, Becky’s results came back clear, but the experience was a wake-up call. She explained: “Realistically I knew I’d need other tests and medical appointments as I got older, and I refused to put myself through that level of stress again.”
The prospect of eventually starting a family had also been in the back of Becky’s mind for a few years – but she had ruled it out as she knew there would be no way of avoiding hospitals and appointments during pregnancy. Determined not to let her phobia control her future, Becky self-referred to NHS Bury Talking Therapies, where she met with high intensity therapist, Romanah Beg.
Becky worked with Romanah for seven months to understand and confront her phobia. “Romanah was so compassionate and easy to talk to. I could truly open up and be honest about how I felt. She was empathetic and made me feel heard and understood.”
Romanah explained: “Cognitive behaviour therapy helps people manage fears and phobias by changing their beliefs about danger and gradually facing the things they fear.
“Sometimes we’d meet and use the time to take a step-by-step exposure approach to the feared situation or object. I’d accompany Becky to various doctor’s appointments, or we’d walk around Fairfield Hospital together. The exposure lasts long enough for the person to learn that the feared outcome won’t happen, or they can cope with it and handle the anxiety.”
Thanks to therapy, Becky can now attend GP appointments without anxiety and has achieved her goal of donating blood – something she now plans to do regularly.
She said: “It’s such an achievement, the end of a chapter. I never expected therapy to be so helpful. It’s really changed my outlook, and I can now seriously think about my future. I reached out for help and never looked back. I would recommend trying it as you’ll never get over the fear if you do not face it. It’s challenging, and you must be willing to put yourself out of your comfort zone, but it could really change your life.”
NHS Bury Talking Therapies is for people aged 16 years and above, registered with a GP in Bury. They offer support and treatment for a range of issues including low mood, stress, worry or anxiety, difficulty sleeping, feelings of low self-worth, panic attacks, phobias and more. People can quickly and easily self-refer by completing an online form or they can be referred by a healthcare professional.