I read @amateuradam's "EVERYTHING IS GOING TO HURT" last week. A super-engaging, super-disturbing whistle-stop tour of life in the NHS for junior doctors (i.e. anyone in their first 6-8 years of medical practice).
It lays bare the practical impact of inadequate gov't policy on healthcare service, in what is not so much a political polemic (though it closes with an open letter to the then minister for health), but in a hundred different anecdotes that chronicle a wide range of issues.
From chronic understaffing (cancelled holidays, hours worked over shift), to lack of mental health resources (under slept, overwrought medical professionals), through issues around pay and just the practical misery of life at the forefront of a strained acute care system.
Adam's honesty is brutal, and hard to relate to for much of the book. He paints a picture of himself as someone that has managed to distance himself from the humanity of his job. But small stories of human connection come through as you progress, an the closing chapters...
...well, they're utterly heart rending.
I always looked at NHS staff as something akin to heroes, and after reading this, my awe and respect is renewed a hundredfold. As is my contempt for those who pass off a 1% pay rise as 'the best they can do.'
These people deserve more.
I always looked at NHS staff as something akin to heroes, and after reading this, my awe and respect is renewed a hundredfold. As is my contempt for those who pass off a 1% pay rise as 'the best they can do.'
These people deserve more.
(If you're pregnant, or considering having a baby, wait till you're done with that chapter in your life as no-one wants to know about the medical perspective on what could go wrong in childbirth in that much detail before they go into the system.)
If you want to read it, link here. Other bookstores are available. waterstones.com/book/this-is-g…
THIS IS GOING TO HURT. Evidently I read everything but the title.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
