Nick Edwards

If you’re looking for a "bottom-up" military history that ignores the high-level politics and focuses on the actual survival of the men in the trenches, Moonrakers is a standout. It follows the 2nd Wiltshires from their arrival in 1914 through the meat-grinder of the Western Front, using personal letters and war diaries to document the day to day grit of the First Battle of Ypres and the Somme. It’s less of a sweeping narrative and more of a raw, meticulously researched record of a show more single unit’s endurance. For anyone who prefers the detailed "soldier’s eye view" this is a must read. show less

I really enjoy the sort of books that take a real-life, blood-guts-warts-n-all look at the health system (as well as anything in the Babylon series). I found this book when looking at the ‘other people who viewed these items’ section on a website. (In case you’re interested, I was looking at Max Pemberton’s fantastic books on life as a junior doctor).

So as you’ve already deduced, this book is a reality check on hospitals, medicine and the National Health Service in the UK. The show more author, Dr Nick Edwards (not his real name), started writing after his wife got sick of him whinging about his life as an accident and emergency (A &E) doctor. This book is compiled of his rants, raves and stories – some hilarious, some terrifically sad.

If you’re not familiar with some of the idiosyncrasies of the NHS, don’t worry. Edwards explains the bureaucracy in simple terms and the issues the doctors ‘on the floor’ have with things that are familiar to Australian audiences too, such as the ‘four hour rule’. (Simply put, this means everyone who comes into an emergency department must be in a ward or discharged within four hours. However, this doesn’t take into account delays with imaging, waiting for test results, review by doctors who have been up for 24 hours and need sleep etc. Edwards explores some of the more ‘creative’ ways this rule is circumvented). Occasionally Edwards’ lamenting about the poor state of the NHS does get tedious, but he always follows up with an entertaining anecdote regarding people who accidently ‘sit’ on carrots that are vertical or trip and fall into a pineapple.

There are also sad stories – unexpected deaths due to trauma and elderly with nobody to care for them. Drunkenness and patients under the influence are also explored, as are many minor illnesses – some that the average person wouldn’t dream of going to the emergency department for!

This is a light read that takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions. Plus, next time you’ll understand the true dangers of fruit and vegetables!

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In Stitches: The highs and lows of life as an A&E doctor by Nick Edwards is an autobiographical account of a doctor's life in a busy A&E department. The hospital is representative of any number of A&E's up and down the country and Dr Edwards uses a journal style to deliver a series of humorous snapshots of what life is like. It is full of tongue-in-cheek humour and sarcasm, especially directed at the ever increasing bureaucracy, as well as touching moments such as allowing a elderly patient show more to die with dignity. It came across as a believable portral of life as an A&E doctor.

It's a gripping read which I got through within a few hours and often whilst laughing out loud. My only criticism is that the frequent rants about the bureaucracy and future of the NHS becomes wearing over time, and depending on your politics could become annoying by the end of the book. The humour does little to soften the political message in parts.

Overall a very funny and engrossing read. show less

I really enjoyed this book - it''s been on my list to read for a long time.

I liked the structure of short chapters, each with a unique storyline of their own. The author justifies his 'rant' frequently and often reminds the reader that there are many good aspects of the NHS. Some of the chapters have titles such as 'why I love being an A&E Dr' which give some balance to the overall feel of the book and prevent the book from being criticised as a negative rant throughout. I hope many managers show more and accountants in the NHS have read this book and taken note of the unintended consquences that some policies have brought about. It would be good to think that the book may have been used as a catalyst for positive and ongoing change in the NHS. show less