The Doctor Will See You Now

Max is back for another adventure as a not-so-junior doctor. This year, he’s back at the same hospital he spent his first year at. Only this time, he’s got a rotation closer to his final specialty (geriatrics, with some psychogeriatrics and some general medicine). There is still plenty of room for odd presentations to the ED (one for example, involves a circular device being used a little too long, nudge nudge wink wink) and funny things that patients say and do. Max’s experiences are also tinged with sadness at times- at the end of life care for older people as well as the state of the NHS (National Health Service, that’s the public health service in the UK. You can easily apply the issues anywhere though).

The great thing about show more Max’s writing is that he has a fantastic ability to explain things, whether it be disease, treatment or bureaucracy, in easily understood terms. Even though I’m not in the UK, I was able to understand the cost-saving measures put in place for the building of hospitals and services offered. Max also wrote the clearest explanation of what a prion is and its effects on the human brain – not an easy task. This ability to put into plain words limitations of today’s healthcare (such as chemical sedation for demented patients, locking of ward pantries to restrict food after hours, shutting emergency departments) strengthens his argument – what about the patient? Isn’t the aim of healthcare profession to do what’s best for them?

Please don’t let the above paragraph detract you into thinking the book has a preaching tone. It doesn’t. There are laughs, sadness and frustration aplenty. We also see the return of Flora, Ruby and Lewis, who each have stronger storylines in this book. There is also the return of the Three Marys (secretaries) and Trudy, supplier of cakes and knowledge, along with some new characters. Max and his friends also get time off to go on holiday and attend a wedding, even if everything doesn’t turn out as planned…

I’ll be interested to see what Max does next. He is an excellent writer who always makes reading about medicine a fascinating subject. If only he could rewrite some of my textbooks!

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com show less

A good read, as usual, and it's good to see his passion for and commitment to the NHS is as strong as ever. Considering all the dozens and dozens of friends and colleagues he cites as helping with his book, though, it's surprising that none of them has pointed out the grammatical errors he is prone to. Most gratingly, he's one of those people who fails to see the difference between "I" and "me". It is gratifying, however, that his publisher has at last recognised that "practise", when used as a verb, is spelt with an "s" rather than a second "c".

I read his first book but have not yet read the second. This book, his third, is very good. I found the fact of the nursing homes very thought provoking as I have had fairly recent contacts with nursing homes. It has patches of humour, pathos and everything else you will find in a hospital.