Nick Edwards

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 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.… (mer)

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 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!

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com… (mer)