She’d sat and waited for nearly four hours by the time it was her turn to be called through. It was late one Friday...
Clinician Stories
Reconceiving the metaphor of ‘magic’ hospital curtains
I sleep with the window open, although the light, or darkness, outside is all but hidden by the blind that drapes the...
Reckoning day is here: let us harness the self care agenda for the collective good.
Flicking idly through a glossy, fashion magazine a headline grabs my attention: “A band-aid for bullet wounds: is the...
Recognising those who inspired us to be who we are
I can’t believe that we are only a few days away from the first year anniversary of the first confirmed COVID-19 case in the UK. 31st January 2020. It almost seems surreal looking back over the last twelve months to think that this time last year none of us really had...
Re-evaluating the power of touch
The conversation was not one I was unfamiliar with. Discussing a serious diagnosis, a worrying test result, or a life limiting prognosis is something I have been doing on probably a weekly basis for years. This conversation was no different; the recipe that guides me...
Regretfully falling between the cracks.
I first met Karen in 2018. She came in to consult about a possible chest infection, and I went on to discover that ten months after undergoing surgery for breast cancer she was apparently still waiting for her chemotherapy to start. She wasn’t one to complain...
Remarking on the igglepiggle moments
Eight years ago I wrote about the ‘Igglepiggle moments’ of my clinical practice. The quick fixes in paediatric ED that punctuate my week and lighten the load, reminding me why I love my job, grounding me in what really matters. I was reminded again this week of my...
Re-filling the tank
I’m on count down. Annual leave minus 10 days. If all goes to plan (no local lockdown!) I’ll be going away; an escape to the country, to the coast; a relatively unpopulated area that I’ve spent a couple of weeks exploring most summers for the last few years. A...
Recalculating the cost of lockdown
My job is not any easier. There was talk that when the lockdown ended A&E would not go back to how it used to be. We had hoped it would be less manic, with an increase in staffing levels, enabling us to provide better and more timely care. The preceding...
The Covid Diaries 11
Saturday 13th June 2020 : Reality Check This week I’d quite like to get off the rollercoaster we’ve all been travelling over the last 16 weeks. I’ve had enough. I feel like my positivity has run out, the flame of hope extinguished, my ability to keep going faded away....
Re-living harrowing moments
The guttural howl could be heard at the other end of the corridor. It went on and on, uncontrollable, penetrating the core of all who heard it. Inside the room the noise was suffocating. There was barely any space anyway, an extended family packed into an area far too...
Reconstructing a different life 4
Part 4: Resumption My parents in law had decided that my wife, son and I deserved a holiday. They were taking us to Portugal for a fortnight in September. I was delighted - something to look forward to. I was reliant on the wheel chair or crutches but I had built up...