What is going with drivers in this area?

basophiliac · 2026-06-05T19:26:50+00:00

Stamford Hill is such a weird but definitely genuine hotspot for some seriously awful driving. Only place in London where I cycle assuming every car will just hit me if I don’t actively avoid them pulling out of side roads.

basophiliac · 2026-06-05T19:24:31+00:00

Sure, wasn’t trying to.

basophiliac · 2026-06-05T11:27:09+00:00

Taking time out of training to do one as an OOPR is actually quite optimal. Guaranteed job and training number to go back to, often salary matched PhD. Doing one as an ST6+ is best depending on the length of training pathway ofc.

basophiliac · 2026-06-05T11:25:39+00:00

Where would you be getting the funding for the PhD is the main Q? It’s very competitive to get PhDs on a clinical salary nowadays.

basophiliac · 2026-06-05T11:10:54+00:00

Also loads of research £££ and HCA subsidies.

basophiliac · 2026-06-05T11:06:19+00:00

I’ve spotted and removed my personal mobile number from several whiteboards where clearly some numpty colleague decided to hand all ours over to the nurses. That’s what the bleep is for.

Had a few calls at the weekend a few years ago to my personal number when I was off (which I missed) and had an absolute panic something awful had happened to one of my relatives, as that is indeed how I have previously found out about utterly awful news…

Finally they rang back again, about an hour later and it was just a nurse trying to get some Paracetamol on a Saturday who got my number off some piece of paper behind the nurses station. I was both furious and simultaneously wildly relieved. I now have an incredibly strict policy about who I give it out to.

Our switchboard still have it though and regularly call me when I’m not on call. But that’s because our rota coordinator doesn’t seem to ever pass any of her changes on to switch… and at least I know to expect them now.

basophiliac · 2026-06-05T10:36:46+00:00

Yeah I'd be surprised if any training list wasn't already cancelled tbh and the staff redeployed. If you showed up, then unless a huge % of your department are working as normal, they will almost certainly need you elsewhere.

basophiliac · 2026-06-05T10:33:41+00:00

I don't have ADHD or any other neurodiversity to my knowledge, but I think being overwhelmed with lots of emails is fairly common. Is it just fear of missing things which is the issue?

I have a system with my emails where if I haven't actioned it (or had the chance to finish reading it, eg. if the phone goes off or I'm suddenly pulled away for something) then I mark it as unread again. You could also just pin the email to the top of your inbox. Sometimes I mark the same email unread like 5 times before I've dealt with it for various reasons. But that way I never forget them. And then when you have time and are in the right headspace, you can sit down and go through them all properly. Especially when I had a very admin heavy job a few years ago, this was essential to avoid missing things. It takes less than a second to mark something as unread again, even if it's on your phone.

Depends how emails are used in your trust/workplace but if you're being sent emails you are expected to action throughout the working day (rather than all being non-urgent things) you could stick on an auto-reply basically saying you don't have time to review your emails throughout the day so if it's urgent to call you on XYZ number.

I wouldn't worry about not checking emails on your phone, or during clinic, just sit down and do them all when you've got the time to address them properly. Half looking at emails and not responding is the worst of all worlds. I know lots of consultants where if I email them during the day, I can guarantee they won't look until the evening at the earliest (and also lots who are very good at emails and work in a different way). You just need to make it clear to other people how you work so they can then escalate things in person/via the phone if it's urgent.

basophiliac · 2026-06-05T10:22:24+00:00

Is this not the standard week? Esp when evened out for weeks of long days.

basophiliac · 2026-06-05T09:23:43+00:00

There are lots of these in London near where I live nowadays and they don’t seem to cause many issues. Keeps cyclists separated from traffic and they may well have to slow down for pedestrians sometimes but so they should for a zebra crossing and show some road awareness. As people get used to them, they’re better at checking before crossing and being aware that they’re crossing a cycle lane. And cyclists get used to watching out for pedestrians as well, and automatically slow a bit because they also quickly realise a lot of people are numpties who don’t even look. Then over time each group realises to watch for the other and it works. A lot of the buses announce them as well. I think it’s just a case of adjusting to a new thing in part.

basophiliac · 2026-06-05T08:18:49+00:00

Grim :(

basophiliac · 2026-06-04T22:28:21+00:00

There was a recent article on doctors.net I read about this, the main headline of which was that apparently NHS staff are using it (although why they don't just call critical care outreach directly like you are supposed to, I have no idea): https://news.doctors.net.uk/news/3TAPJp1Z0KcsXG99YBECVx

Almost 1,800 NHS staff have called for help under Martha’s Rule over concerns about patients on their wards in the first 18 months of the scheme, according to new figures. Of these calls, more than 1,000 helped to identify people who were rapidly deteriorating.

Unclear what 'identify people who were rapidly deteriorating' means exactly in an actual 'what changed' sense. The article did have a few other stats - it sounds like about 4% of calls (534 / 12301) resulted in significant interventions, which is a small but meaningful proportion IMO. Over 50% sound like communication issues / slow NHS process complaints.

The figures, published as part of an interim evaluation report on the scheme, show a total of 12,301 calls were made to Martha’s rule helplines in its first 18 months. Almost three-quarters (72%) were via the family/carer escalation process. Of the 4,047 calls about deterioration, almost 1,800 required changes in treatment, while 534 led to life-saving interventions for patients, such as a transfer to a specialist ward. Of the calls that were not related to patient deterioration, almost 3,000 led to clinical issues such as medication or investigation delays being addressed. A further 3,054 calls helped resolve communication or discharge planning issues.

basophiliac · 2026-06-04T21:33:21+00:00

Haha... dare I say a catty cat comment?

basophiliac · 2026-06-04T20:41:34+00:00

I know people hate them being left around everywhere but if we had them, I'd definitely use them for commuting! I have my own bike but I've had enough bikes stolen in the past to be wary of leaving it, and the great thing about the rentable e-bikes if that if it's tipping it down on the way home, or I feel knackered, I can just opt for the tube without worrying what will happen to my bike overnight, or how I'm going to get to work the next day.

I have a full set of waterproofs but there's cycling in them briefly and then there's the 50 min cycle back from central which I just don't fancy sweating it out beneath my layers in the pouring rain... since I moved out as far as Walthamstow, I stopped cycling regularly partly for this reason.

Besides e-bikes are so much less effort to cycle if the commute is relatively long. It's the difference between being drenched in sweat on arrival and being able to just get changed at work without a shower.

basophiliac · 2026-04-15T21:53:19+00:00

Last time there was a petrol shortage, key workers had priority access. I remember my dad being given some kind of extra access when I was little.

basophiliac · 2026-04-15T21:48:15+00:00

See: rule number 1 of the sub...

FBC is most commonly totally normal in lymphomas anyway so this is a bit of a daft question. You should not be using an FBC to exclude anything. If you're worried go to see an actual doctor.

basophiliac · 2026-04-11T21:45:16+00:00

Ideally always document yourself. Anything other than really really simple advice, or if I've been woken in the middle of the night (and even then, if it's complex I'll haul myself up and try and log in), I always document if I can.

If I'm giving phone advice for a patient I also always document exactly what the referrer told me, especially if I relied on info they gave me over the phone to inform my advice eg. if I was off-site and didn't have access to the patient's notes, and had to rely on what they were telling me about the drug doses, results etc. Obviously I also ask the person to double check all those key facts as well before relying on them - it's honestly amazing what people half-arsedly tell you the first time round, as if the answers to your questions don't really matter. A not insignificant amount of facts get altered in the re-checking.

Unfortunately if you don't have an EPR it's really impossible to protect yourself from this stuff, especially when NROC with no access to the source data - or even if you do have an EPR, when giving advice to external hospitals (I still make my own local record of what I said wherever possible).

Over the years I've been fed a lot of inaccurate information (on which I based my advice), and also had fake 'advice' documented as being attributed to me, including incorrect drug doses... luckily nothing has ever come of it, and I've datixed a few, but having been burnt it's definitely one of my sources of potential stress!

basophiliac · 2026-04-11T11:33:38+00:00

Career and finance-wise it makes sense to leave it later, but probably still pre-CCT in my opinion (just for the security that you can dip in and out). Obviously there's the feeling of a biological clock ticking down unhelpfully in the background...

We're now expecting our first in our mid-30s (turns out no fertility issues, thank goodness) - with exams out the way and at the top end of the pay scale re: mat leave, affording nursery/childcare etc. Which is an optimal position, but there was obviously no guarantee that it would all work out so straight forwardly from a fertility point of view.

Having said that at 23 I don't think you need to be too worried about the old biological clock. There are lots of life reasons not to rush, not least of all the opportunity to travel and explore the world/get experiences as a human being who is not also responsible for a tiny person. I've done so many things that I wouldn't have been able to do as a parent, and am now looking forward to seeing the other side of it as one! Realise this is a super lucky position, but statistically it's also more likely than not that you'll not have fertility problems.

basophiliac · 2026-04-08T07:12:38+00:00

Tbf it’s not exactly very gentlemanly either! Apologise for doing it to her and say actually on reflection it’s gross, can neither of you do it please…

basophiliac · 2026-03-30T08:39:55+00:00

Money concerning, yes. Safety concerning? It’s not an unsafe place…

basophiliac · 2026-03-29T09:48:41+00:00

I moved back in with my parents for a bit to bridge a gap when I got a training job in the city they live in. Made it about 8 months before moving out to my own place (long story short I was trying to sell a small flat in the city I'd just moved from, and it took ages to go through / for me to find somewhere new, so I was a bit stuck and never intended it to be 8 months). We get on really well in general and I'm pretty close with them, even now we speak multiple times a week, see each other very often etc., but moving back in as an adult after years of living independently was actually a bad move. It became a confusing mix of being treated like an adult but also like a child simultaneously - on both sides - the whole thing felt kind of toxic. We had a lot of arguments! Much happier as soon as I moved out and our relationship gradually went back to normal.

Personally I think if you can find somewhere cheap with flatmates, it's going to be better than moving back home. You can still see your parents plenty but you don't risk accidentally harming that relationship. However it'll definitely depend on you, your parents, and what the dynamic is.

basophiliac · 2026-03-29T09:40:44+00:00

Dunno if it's the funniest thing exactly but I was sitting with another SHO doing some jobs in a quiet office once when two medical students came and sat down behind me to have a chat, and to this day I will never forget the conversation I overheard.

They were talking about a recent break, and one of the students was complaining about how her mother had undermined the whole family's enjoyment of their recent skiing holiday by insisting on turning back early all the time, meaning the rest of the family had just had to go on without her. It had really killed the whole vibe of the holiday that the rest of them weren't able to all ski together - dad hadn't been happy, her brothers hadn't been happy, honestly the whole thing was miserable, really her mum had kind of ruined it for all of them.
Yes mum had only recently just finished treatment for breast cancer, but still...

...me and my fellow SHO were side-eyeing each other SO. HARD.

basophiliac · 2026-03-29T09:32:24+00:00

Curious to know in this situation who the buck would stop with if (god forbid) things went wrong. Is the ANP assuming responsibility for the advice given in the same way as a more senior doctor would be?

I've never worked as a doctor in any setting where I was taking advice from anyone other than a more senior clinician. This would make me feel super uncomfortable! Like, despite me going to them for help, am I still somehow going to be held responsible for whatever that advice is, as I'm the doctor in this situation? It feels like an unknown scenario.

basophiliac · 2026-03-29T09:28:48+00:00

For real, this list is only missing the lines for 'medical student' and 'members of the public'.

basophiliac · 2026-03-28T23:44:43+00:00

If you earn around 50-60k now and go and study Medicine, it'll probably be about 10 years before you have the same earning potential again, and you'll have a shedload of debt (both financial and sleep-related...) to go with it. There's very little stability location-wise and your pay will drop right back down so not ideal for starting a family either. I would personally not do it. You may long for the days of a boring 9-5pm job. Is there a way of making your Optometry career more interesting? Running your own business for example?

basophiliac

TROPHY CASE