Personally based on what Adam Kay has said I do believe most of the book was true. He changed some names and dates and combined some patient stories for confidentiality etc. but I do believe that all the stories are true. Maybe some are heightened slightly for effect but I don't think anything is fictionalised or hearsay. The show however, while written by him, I see as a separate thing and more or less completely fictionalised but also the show isn't being presented as the diaries of a junior doctor. It doesn't appear anywhere in the show details and while it says it's based on a memoir I feel like most people can understand it's not meant to be completely real life. As for the patient being the butt of the joke because she's not smart, based on how the episode goes I think that's the point. Because she's not smart and a bit annoying she's treated poorly and her pre-eclampsia is missed. It highlights how medical descrimination can and does do serious harm.
Well, I was thinking the show is being controversial because that's what is good for getting attention, but I'll have to think again. Thank you for your comment.
Yeah that was absolutely the point and it helps that they also have the woman with the twisted ovary too because in both cases it's reason someone might be turned away. I might be wrong, but I remember the "diagnosing tastebuds" being part of a less serious case or just someone that had that happen and it was all? So yeah a few of these things shown in the show are combinations of different experiences and happened at different times
@@kakefyllyes but she faked fainting because she wanted to be seen. And she is quite dumb. Throughout the show she said many unintelligent things. That were quite funny even.
13:45 First off, love how he snaps, "Why would you do that?" and then immediately upon realising he's being a dolt, he says, "Thank you." Also, the framing of the shot is freaking fantastic. Literally seeing his reflection over the blood as he passes, it's just gorgeous and brutal. 10/10 cinematography. Also... I just adore Ben Whishaw.
The dolphin tattoo thing was in the book. But he put something like "hey upon my lawyer's advice I need to say that this is definitely a joke and didn't happen", while also implying that it actually happened. I remembered doing a double take after reading that, because if true it's kind of a shocking story.
Yeah, I read it as a dark joke in the book. Like maybe it wasn't perfect, but he probably did his best without being a perfectionist. I definitely don't think it would have been as significant as in the show as to ruin the tattoo.
I was a Paeds SHO and got crash called for a cord prolapse and it was scarily accurate to what was on the show, except it was a midwife with a hand inside the patient. Really enjoyed this! I’ve only watched up to episode 4 because some of the things Adam does are difficult to understand.
@@DrHopeSickNotes if I had the ability to heart this comment, I would! Thank you! It was definitely difficult being the only F2 in the SHO group of GPSTs and Paeds STs but I learnt so much and really enjoyed it! Hoping you make this a series if possible 😊
one of my first PV exams as a student midwife(many moons ago!) was a cord prolapse,definatly thrown in deep end.The stories I could tell like anyone else in the nhs.I had to retire early with a knackered back(so many nurses/midwives have damaged backs)
Having had two C-sections seeing what the doctors have to go through is just...I am so grateful to the brilliant people who go to school for years, spend sleepless weeks to help others and bring our tiny humans into the world.
One of my good friends had an emergency C-section at 25 or 26 weeks bc of Preclampsia. Her son was 1 pound, 1 oz. A week later she had a brain aneurysm. They are both alive and healthy. What the doctors were able to do is nothing short of miraculous.
For the record, later on in the show, Adams more shitty behaviour and not taking patients seriously is shown to be the wrong approach. The show is setting up what seems like standard medical drama behaviour to end up being taken seriously. It's like the anti-House and I think can demonstrate to people the real life issues with seemingly harmless behaviour. Nothing wrong with a bit of gallows humour though!
@@DrHopeSickNotes I think getting your perspective is important as well. The show was written by someone who was essentially chewed up and spit out so it makes sense he highlights the darkest moments. But the show also does get really preachy at times. I really think this is a show where you can add a lot of value given how relevant your own experiences are. But regardless of what you decide to do, thank you again for this video!
Nothing wrong with getting preachy about the NHS. People in this country take it for granted and don't care that it's being slowly dismantled. Go and look at the heath outcomes in the US compared to the UK and then tell me we shouldn't shout about what we've got.
I'm not sure about a 'Scrubs Vending Machine' as depicted, but there is certainly one in which you deposit used scrubs, to be issued a new clean pair. The logic of this has always baffled me, as you either have to deposit the scrubs at the end of your shift to get a clean pair, which you then have to store somewhere(likely not as clean as the machine), or wear the old pair home, and keep them there until your next shift(or store them in your locker), only to have to bring them back, so you can exchange them for a fresh pair, at the start of a new shift. I am told this is an anti-theft device/policy, which I suppose makes sense given how little Interns/Residents get paid. But honestly, how many pairs of scrubs does one person need for recreational use? My local hospital combated this by simply giving all staff, required to wear scrubs, a yearly scrub allowance, which means that a lot of the senior staff have some pretty cool scrubs, tailored to their own tastes.
That deposit to receive system could surely be improved by adding a token system. Deposit soiled scrubs and the machine issues you a token. The dispensing of clean scrubs would then require you to deposit the scrubs, immediately removing the need to store your clean scrubs, or store/take home the dirty scrubs. Although I can't imagine a trust/board of trustees/decision maker giving the go ahead for that extra step to be included in the machines, as that would increase the cost.
Wearing dirty scrubs home sounds like a great way to spread nasty diseases around since by the end of a shift, you'd have been exposed to so much. Hopefully that policy isn't in use very often.
i found the gallows humour quite reassuring tbh, I worked in a very hectic stressful, but thankfully non life-threatening job(unless you count food allergies) back in my early years and I saw a very similar type of humour from the people i worked with to this show.
@@DrHopeSickNotes absolutely, we used to regularly do 90hour weeks from September all the way through till Christmas and the scenes of him falling asleep in the car park really hit home with me, I slept on a bag of flour between shifts once, all 4 hours of it.
My opinion of the book and the series isn't that this is every day in the NHS but that every doctor will have stories like these about their worst days and that the ones that keep working even with all these exceptionally bad days are amazing people, even if they do have to get through it by turning to dark humour or dehumanising their patients in order to cope.
I remember seeing the promo teaser for this a while ago and I was thinking, “I hope Dr Ed reacts to this”, and well, what do you know! It was as if he was reading my mind here! Thanks Dr Ed and welcome back cause we missed you! 😅❤️
@@DrHopeSickNotes Aww, you’re seriously making me blush Dr Ed! Your videos and comments are brilliant! We need more sensitive people out there in the world, so thank you for what you do! 🥰😊
@@DrHopeSickNotes this is isn't a doctor thing but a work-related issue(this is a reference to not having a senior member or someone that know what they are doing,than they call in and your stuck with more work) I've had it happen to a few times and I was suppose to get off(me already doing 12 hours from an hour before)I had to stay 8 more hours,and losing sleep. Mind you I was suppose to come in that day,I said Nope,the next manager will have to take their shift and mine too. I need sleep over this will Not end well..
I've read the book but only seen this first episode so far since It's heavy enough that it's hard to find the energy to watch it. I'm glad you reviewed it and hope you do more. Like you, I was also uncomfortable with how patients can be depicted as jokes, however I liked how they explicitly showed how belittling patients (even just internally) can lead to poor treatment and even serious emergencies. It feels like showing the dark humour comes from a place of honesty around how he coped, but also from a place of shame that it affected his patients and other staff so negatively. Edit: I want to also say that the book, espeically the author's own narration with the audiobook, comes across with much more compassion. Giving dates of diary entries helps get across how rare these moments were too. Seeing multiple entries merged together for the TV show compounds the cynicism, I think.
I don't think you're a killjoy at all! I think your attitude towards other people is always very kind and compassionate and it reassures me to know people like you are working for the NHS 😊
Had a blast watching this series. I wonder how many of the commentators are NHS staff? As a migrant living in the UK, I cannot tell you how precious and special this institution (with and without its flaws) is. It is priceless. The first time I went to A&E and got released without having to pay sounded surreal. I kept asking the receptionist, probably to an annoying degree: are you sure? I couldn't wrap my head around it... pretty sure I still can't.
THANK YOU for what you said at 9:04. I am a Special Education teacher, and we need more understanding and empathy when communicating with people who have Learning Disabilities.
I jokingly call myself a 'professional patient'. I'm in and out of EDs and hospitals a lot because of my rare genetic kidney disease and I can rattle off the standard question answers before they ask and it becomes an amusing thing that breaks the ice for me and whoever's admitting me (are you pregnant, smoking etc). The local ED I go to rotates the junior doctors in and out of the department so often I see a different one each time and, as a result, have seen a wide variety of nationalities. I've also experienced a lot of different nationalities of nurses on wards as well. Regardless of the colour of their skin, they're all very competent and knowledgeable professionals, but the different bedside manner people from other countries can have certainly makes the experience harder for the patients. Of course, there are NZ European doctors and nurses who could also stand to learn to be a little softer and empathetic. I try to remind myself that half of it is probably my perception and it's not going to impact the quality of my care, but it certainly has an impact on me emotionally and mentally when I'm already struggling with uncertainty.
I had Pre-Eclampsia with my first pregnancy, I'd never heard of it before I was diagnosed! (1985) It's so reassuring that there's more information about it now, even if it is a bit "gritty". Welcome back though, we've missed you!
There's a couple of shows I'd love to see you react to. One being Quacks, which focusses on three friends (and one of their wives) in Victorian England trying to make progress in different areas of medicine: A surgeon, a dentist and an alienist (early Psychologist). It's grizzly and hilarious, the first episode has Robert Lessing attempting to break his record of amputation of the leg. The other is A Young Doctor's Notebook, which focusses on Doctor Bomgard (Jon Hamm) reminiscing back to his early days as a Doctor (played by Daniel Radcliffe) working in a tiny Russian town during the Russian Civil War. Like Quacks it's a very dark comedy, with some ridiculous moments, but with more bleak times.
I've seen the Young Docs Notebook, then read the book, both Hamm & Radcliffe are brilliant in it, so are the supporting cast, I'll have to watch it again.
@@Rudra0141 Nice, I haven't read the book and when the show came out I only saw the first series. But more recently I bought series 1 on DVD and watched series 2 on Amazon (for a fee).
I appreciate his care and consideration towards the patients, such as feeling uncomfortable when the patients are made the butt of the jokes and pointing out how if they had taken a patient's symptoms more seriously, they could've prevented the situation from escalating into an emergency. Healthcare in America is frustrating for many, including myself and my family, with past bad experiences, but we've also had several good experiences with kind, intelligent, patient, and caring doctors who go above and beyond to make sure we're okay.
I had an emergency c section and like the patient in the show, was wheeled into OR with a midwife's hand up there, holding baby in. From the time my water broke and I hit the emergency button to the time my daughter was born was only 20 mins! Awkward as hell and hurt like crazy but I also found it kinda funny. We're running down the hallway, crashing into walls, Midwife asks if I'm ok and all I can do is grunt and give her the thumbs up. Thank you Claire, you did an amazing job!!
Interesting! My sister is a neonatal nurse and said a lot of the same things as you. I found it interesting having read the book and having spent a lot of time in hospital when I was younger. I had preeclampsia with one pregnancy and had to have emergency c section as my baby was IUGR and had stopped growing. Thankfully due to such expertise all was ok and he is now a thriving 5 year old! 😊
Thank you for this, I know you're a busy guy but I'd love for you to hear him talk about the lack of support for mental health to doctors and other topics in interviews (Adam Kay) or perhaps check his book as the source material and how different it is! Also, get some sleep please!!!!
Yeh I have read the book, but I think I'm going to read it again after watching this. It's also why I came into it thinking it would be a lot more light hearted, this show definitely has a darker tone. Adam Kay has been a huge advocate for the NHS and junior doctors in particular, specifically shining a light on the working conditions / mental health (which kind of go hand in hand) and also his voice during the Junior Doctor strikes in 2016. I have a lot of respect for the man.
Thanks for the reaction, looks pretty good. The whole black humour with sarcasm & bitching about the management, is almost a necessity to maintain your sanity esp. at the level of JRs & SHO along the nursing staff. And regarding the incident about, amending the report, it happens all the time, everywhere. I think British ppl have a very idealized view of NHS & it's workings, it's great that this show is showing something different.
My tattoo artist told me a story about someone who had a Seven of Nine tattoo on their calf which got cut through for an operation. When they were stitched back up, it was left slightly misaligned. But when the surgeon subsequently saw this, he insisted they open it back up and re-stitch the opening, so the tattoo could be preserved (it just needed a little touch up, once it was healed). Why? Apparently, because he was a big Star Trek fan!
I’ve experienced the Kermit glove puppet dash down the corridor, but it was post delivery for a cervical tear, so I had my feet up in stirrups and one of them bounced off a closed half door. Glad to see you back!
I’ve really enjoyed the episodes I’ve seen so far but it’s obviously a black comedy exaggeration, I’ve read a lot of reviews slamming it for being too negative but I can imagine a lot of these scenarios happen in some way or another with how stretched the NHS is and how tired doctors are. I’d love to see you review more episodes!
I think this show misses some of the humour of the book. I listened to the audio book, narrated by Adam Kay himself so it carries the humour and intention in his voice, which I think they haven't got over in this adaptation. In this it seems more darker and cynical.
Yeah I agree, it's pretty brave of Adam Kay to make himself seem like such an arsehole on his own show, certainly didn't get that impression in the book. At times I get the feeling in order to compress events into the show he's put all the decent parts of himself into Shruti (who I'm guessing is a made up character) and kept all the failings for himself.
@@davidpotter6564 yeah I was thinking that too, which is odd because I'd love a dark comedy based on it that also has the darkness it currently has - that's practically all the bbc shows i've loved. She is made up but i'm actually not sure what to make of her yet because she seems like comedic relief done badly idk I think she must be there as a stand in for the "flashbacks" to Adam's own training as well as seeing how junior doctors are treated because we don't start early on in his career in the series and even in the audio he's going back and explain stuff like "see one do one teach one" a few times.
Ah this was a video I didn't know I was eagerly awaiting!! I would look forward to more reactions of these episodes!! The arm thing made me laugh. my friend (stroke nurse) who used the arm raising thing before (they were faking a fainting episode), and he said the patient just continued holding their arm up once he'd let go and he was so confused by that he'd asked the patient why they were still holding their arm up, and they then dropped it. And he was trying to stay professional but so confused patient eventually gave up and tried something else. I don't even know how I'd react.
That Lift / Elevator is called a Paternoster. It has a really interesting history. I believe there is one in the Sheffield University (tallest Paternoster in UK / Europe). I live in Hamburg, Germany. Both hospitals I've worked in had Scrubs Vending Machines. You could access scrubs using your key card / access code. The Key Card had your preferred sizes and your department colours. I could have a maximum of 2 Tops and 2 Bottoms on my account at one time (not sure if different departments had different allowances). This was to avoid people being lazy and leaving scrubs in their lockers (still happened). We often had a shortage on standard sizes so you didn't want to be late to the machines!
You're such a nice guy, Dr. Hope. Obviously, everyone should be treated with the utmost compassion and respect, but this is a dramatized comedy show, and as such, it's pretty damn funny.
The tattoo thing did happen to my granda after a heart attack which I suspect was more due to it being such an emergency than because he caused any great offence. He had been in the merchant navy and had a ship tattooed in the middle of his chest and always used to joke that they sunk his ship
As someone with literally zero medical training, you allow me to enjoy and respect these types of shows on a whole other level than I otherwise would on my own. Thanks doc!
In Canada we have a machine that is programmed to dispense a limited amount of scrubs per staff member. Hospitals were constantly purchasing more scrubs or begging staff to return scrubs meanwhile family and friends were all outfitted in scrubs for loungewear and pjs.
As for scrubs, my university hospital has those dreadful scrub vending machines. You get only 6 credits, 1 per article of clothing (scrub top, pants, or jacket), so maximum of 3 outfits. You have to scan your badge to get new scrubs and to return them. It’s supposedly anti theft and to encourage people to use hospital laundered scrubs to be clean for surgery, but the low number of credits is crazy.
This brought back some memories I had two c section my first my son was an emergency as I had problems during labour and my daughter was because of my issues on my first they did want me to have the same issues I also had big baby’s. The midwife’s and doctors where great took good care of us
This brought back a lot of memories of working as a doctor in the NHS. I really enjoyed your reaction to episode 1 and I agree, i suspect these things didn't actually happen and it's mostly for drama. I'm doing a reaction too and you brought up things I didn't think about!
I still have nightmares from Paediatrics on call as a freshly pass out Junior Doctor..... Goodness me, there would be 8-10 continuous Caesarean Sections, and they would always start in 5 in the afternoon all the way to 12 mid-night. The OB-GYN consultants had made it clear to their PG residents, that someone from Paediatrics need always be present. So the PG residents would call to "receive" every other child born from a CS. They did not want any risk whatsoever. So, I would be there in the OR, then change and run to a call from the ER, then back to OR, then a call from Labour Room, then NICU and again back to OR.......The funny thing is nobody gives a damn, even your so called colleagues, seniors or your friends. The toll it takes on you.... Made be detest the field whatsoever........
I was a clinical psychologist in the NHS and moved from job to job, city to city. Usually I was accommodated in the doctors' on-call corridor in a general hospital between starting the job and buying a house. On several occasions I have held SHOs and JRs as they wept in fatigue and grief. It can be, usually is from time to time, a grueling physical and emotional experience for young dotors.
They had a lift like that in the lecture theatre block at Leeds University. It's called a Paternoster. It was a bit dodgy to negotiate especially when still worse the wear from the night before! I think it has been done away with now. More recent Leeds students might know.
The lift at the start is known as a Paternoster lift. They were popular primarily in the early 20th century as at the time, they could carry more people than a conventional lift. There used to be numerous Paternoster lifts in the UK, mainly at universities, only 3 remain in use. One’s in the Grade II* listed Arts Tower of the University of Sheffield, another is in the Albert Sloman Library of the University of Essex’s Colchester campus, and one in Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow, the last remaining working Paternoster in London, used by the hospital’s staff.
Many of my own memories came back to me reading the book and seeing parts of the series, from nurse training and my time in the NHS as a physiologist. Now as a very long standing patient with chronic illness so much of it rings true also. Strange seeing things from both sides. Really glad to see you review this 👍
I've worked at a hospital where they had vending machines for scrubs. Absolute nightmare! There were TWO vending machines at this rather large hospital, so there was quite a line every morning. It was a 5-minute walk to the changing rooms. Getting new scrubs took at least 15 minutes since you had to walk from the ward to the machine, then to the changing room and then back to the ward.
I think the tatoo was a intrusive though to Adam if I remember correctly, didn't happen but he though about it. Not exactly 100% though, years since I read it.
I completely agree with you about making the patient the joke. Depictions like this, as well as lived experiences of that behaviour, can make people very hesitant to seek out medical care. It's particularly damaging for people who have medical anxiety or medical trauma as well for people who are more likely to be discriminated against (women, people of colour, members of the LGBT community, the disabled etc). If people are hesitant to seek out medical care for this reason and so avoid it, or seek it out but are then met with this kind of dismissal, there can be very serious consequences like diagnoses being missed. I understand that the show seems to be attempting to send that message with this storyline, but it may also be inadvertently perpetuating the problem.
1:14 it’s a Paternoster lift - a continuous loop of platforms that rise on one side and descend on the other. Don’t go over the top!! There was one in the LSE in the 1970s, only for the brave!
There was also a Paternoster lift at St Thomas Hospital in the 1970s, so it makes sense in this hospital too..bad for the patient on the floor though..as they move continuously like a ski lift!
If you pause This is Going to Hurt you can see the sign that says going over the top isn't dangerous. The lift doesn't rotate, it just shifts sideways to come down on the other side.
It’s so wonderful to hear a doctor with positive things to say about midwives because, he’s right, they’re amazing! Here in the United States when I told people I was going with a midwife people reacted as though I was having a butcher or diesel mechanic deliver my babies! There’s a great deal of prejudice against midwives by doctors and women seeking care but I’ve never understood it. My mum was a midwife, you should go with whatever you’re most comfortable with.
I had an emergency csection 5 years ago. I give a lot of credit to the nurse and the anesthesiologist because they were the ones keeping me calm (I was very very scared). I appreciate you reviewing a show where it does depict some more "real" scenarios. After the birth, I had some comments from people about how csections were "easier" and "at least your vagina isn't ruined!". But I didn't feel like I had the easy way out at all. I was traumatised by the whole thing and have not had another child since (although I am extremely thankful to the medical team for everything). I still cry when I think about it. A lot of people think pregnancy, labour, and birth are easy "people do it everyday, no big deal" but it was the hardest thing I ever did.
They’ve got scrub machines in the royal London hospital where we're given credits to take out the relevant size scrubs. You get your credits back when you return the scrubs in a similar machine
There is a lift like that in the Arts Tower at Sheffield Uni. It's called a paternoster lift as, like the prayer, it is continually rising. New students find it terrifying but you soon get used to it. I loved this series.
I've never liked watching medical dramas but it seems like I need to this show because of Ben Whishaw! Thank you Doc Ed for shedding some insights on th NHS!
Could you please do a part 2 of this video once you've watched the entire series? I think near the end there are some important issues that need to be addressed 🙂
Ive seen people amend notes. I was impatient in psych and a nurse who brutalised patients got away with it as were were psych patients and apparently our word wasnt good. He knocked out a patients teeth and that was thankfully on cctv but they amended the notes to lie. Other staff involved still work there. They covered for abusers in the midst. I had previously worked for the NHS giving the care I wanted to receive so it was gutting to see this happen and I sadly see it happen a lot from a patient pov
The tattoo story is in his book as something that genuinely happened. I also remember in his book the story about diagnosing a patient with tastebuds. I feel like that character got the short end of the stick because I think they combined a lot of different ‘oh the patient was having a “dumb” moment’ stories like the taste buds, giving her own age in weeks, faking unconsciousness to try and get seen quicker etc, into one character Also yeah it’s a brutal look at the NHS but also remember this is set in 2006, when he was a junior doctor and the NHS has come along way since then when it comes to attitudes, how they treat and interact with the patients and the manner in which they do things.
Loved this! Found the book unputdownable and the series great too although tough to watch at times. Would love to see more of these if you have the time and fancy filming it! 🥰 thank you for your amazing content xax
Thanks for making this video! Because the tone feels so true to life it's tricky to tell what's a true story and what's a dramatisation. It's good to hear a doctor talking about how important it is to take patients seriously. Especially women and even more especially women of colour often have their pain completely dismissed as stress. This leads to things like endometriosis being woefully under diagnosed, putting people in avoidable life threatening situations.
All the issues you picked up ( rightly so) are not just throwaway jokes or moments, they do have repercussions throughout the series. These things happen in this episode to address what is not ok, and how that can effect the patients care and the doctors career and confidence. It's not just a joke making the patient the butt of the joke, its showing how stressed and overworked adam is that he becomes frustrated and complacent and therefore delivered bad care and put mum and baby's life at risk. This storyline is followed throughout the series to highlight the knock on effect of that type of behaviour. They do not excuse this behaviour in the series.
Maybe it's because I'm currently on neonates and the consultants are lovely but if the reg has been in all day and the night reg doesn't come in, then the only thing that you can do is the consultant comes in 🙃
Please watch this through to the end. I really think you’ll appreciate the direction the narrative goes and how Adam and his actions play out and how we are led to perceive patients
Lift /paternoster, I experienced one while training in St Thomas' hospital in the late 1960s, it took time to get use to using it, particularly timing the moment you got off.
If I understand that last bit, a doctor 'revising' a statement in a chart (at least, I think that's what you were inferring), I'm not a nurse by my SIL is here in the States, and yeah, that happens. Doctors pressuring nurses to amend statements, while not common, apparently popped up from time to time, especially if the actual statement makes the hospital look bad. One I remember in particular from about twenty years ago is her having an emergency in her LDRP ward and folks there couldn't find the anesthesiologist. He later shows up twenty minutes after procedure is started. She notes it in records. Next day, she is told that the Dr. was in fact there the entire time and she needs to reflect that account. (massive eyeroll)
The US and private hospitals in general definitely don't have the nurse strength of the public systems. I work in a public ED in Aus and could never be asked to amend anything.
As someone who has worked a desk job before, yeah most of us would happily curse someone out under our breath for making our job unnecessarily harder. Not sure what the woman was asking about, but never trust anyone in customer service that you're a few meters away from
I have to say I have watched the whole series. Spoilers for the rest of the post. I have worked in the NHS for 42 years now and recognise so many of the situations Adam Kaye faced but what I don’t recognise is the lack of team support. I found Adam to be an awful doctor lacking empathy and respect for his patients, though technically skilled in procedures. Also a terrible human being not respecting or supporting his team nor mentoring his juniors or supporting his partner. I am so glad he is out of doctoring, I found myself agreeing whole heartedly with Tracy when she reported him for dangerous practice because he was too arrogant to be part of a team and listen to others. He put patients at risk with his attitude in fact I reported a student nurse to the university, failed his module when he nearly killed a patient through arrogance and not listening to his team. That’s the thing I don’t recognise as true, the only way the NHS functions is through team support and recognising experience to promote good practice. As a nurse I have supported junior doctors and very rarehhly found one not grateful for that support, I have also been supported by doctors at all levels and been really grateful for that support. Team work is the only way to cope and achieve the best for patients and a way to cope with all the stress. That’s why Adams journey as a junior doctor was so bad for him and ended up with Shilpa committing suicide because he directly made it so horrible for her. The dreadful situations, the scarcity of equipment and much needed follow up, are all recognisable to me, I too have been so frustrated I want to tear my hair out, but at that point , what made it bearable was the support I received from my colleagues and the support I gave to my colleagues urough the same thing. At no point did Adam seek nor give support, fair enough he didn’t get any but on several occasions we saw him reject any idea of team or needing or giving support. THATS why he should never have been a doctor, the arrogance to think that he was above different members of his team and appalling way he thought about and treated the patients. I hope those years are behind him now and he treats others with the respect they deserve. I am glad he is no longer a doctor, he should have lost in that GMC case he absolutely deserved to loose. I hope he is happier and can lead a life not damaging to others or himself.
After watching the series I went and read the book. In the series real Adam Kay's journey was divided between Adam and Shruti's characters. In reality Adam Kay left medicine so he wouldn't end up like Shruti. The TV series was very cynical and dark in comparison to the book.
This was awesome to watch you react to, I'm going to have to check this show out myself. I was excited to see the upload notification that you'd uploaded =) Thank you for everything you do, and THEN you also run a RUclips channel, badass man, bad ass.
Thank you for mentioning that most "emergent" c-sections are still not life threatening. My sister in law just delivered via c-section last week. She had been induced on a Thursday and they elected for a section on a Sunday after she'd only progressed 4cm despite being in active labour most of that time. They still gave her the option to try for 4 more hours before they made the call for her but she decided it wasn't worth it. I myself was also starting to be presented with the c-section option 4 years ago when my daughter was born but I was much more than 4cm along and I started naturally so it hadn't been literally 4 days, so I refused and an hour later I had my little girl naturally
I worked at 55 King St in Manchester for a Bank, Nat West in 1975 to 1985 and that lift was called a Paternoster lift and yes open and you jump on and off and you can stay in the box and go 'over the top' and begin coming back down - a moment of darkness and then the light again. .. they were a great idea and so very quick.... UNTIL the guy with something too large got into it and it broke it like large long ladders etc !!!
The scrubs at our hospital come out of something similar to a vending machine but not beautifully wrapped in plastic lol. When you return your scrubs the machine gives you a credit , if you run out of credits it won't dispense anymore scrubs. I usually just get a dirty pair from the hamper and deposit those and get the credit for new scrubs.
Please do the rest of the episodes! I loved this for how real it was, (like you say about how there's nothing I can't see not happening and alot of it that I have) and not having anyone to talk it through with has been kinda hard so is great to get to speak (one way convo but still feels like discussing it) about the series overall and some of the specifci scenes.
The wierd lift ist called a "paternoster". Last one I recall was in the adminstrative building of Bayer Chemicals in Germany circa 1990 I dont think they exist anywhere in an NHS hospital
The lift you see in the first scene is called a paternoster, they are continuously moving and you step on and off without it ever stopping, I've ridden one and they are great fun, but you have to be good on your feet to do it safely, getting on one during an emergency like that is just foolhardy, I won't use one these days due to damaged knees.
These kinds of elevators are called Paternoster lifts - we have one in out city's old town hall. They are quite fun to ride - once you get used to them ;)
Not a doctor, but the scrubs vending machine looked like my old job's PPE vending machine. You used your ID to get anything. You were not charged for it but it would go on your record to reduce stealing making sure you were taking things you actually needed. Edit: It also was an instant transfer to inventory so they could update their new requests for what PPE was needed.
I have glaucoma, and missed a year of eye drops because of lack of insurance. The first ophthalmologist was weal. but soom smart enough to know I needed a glaucoma specialist. I meet her and explain that my cousin is ophthalmologist, and I explained that he already yelled at me for missing the year. Her answer was- good, because then I don't have to. At that moment, I knew she was my doctor.
Personally based on what Adam Kay has said I do believe most of the book was true. He changed some names and dates and combined some patient stories for confidentiality etc. but I do believe that all the stories are true. Maybe some are heightened slightly for effect but I don't think anything is fictionalised or hearsay. The show however, while written by him, I see as a separate thing and more or less completely fictionalised but also the show isn't being presented as the diaries of a junior doctor. It doesn't appear anywhere in the show details and while it says it's based on a memoir I feel like most people can understand it's not meant to be completely real life.
As for the patient being the butt of the joke because she's not smart, based on how the episode goes I think that's the point. Because she's not smart and a bit annoying she's treated poorly and her pre-eclampsia is missed. It highlights how medical descrimination can and does do serious harm.
Well, I was thinking the show is being controversial because that's what is good for getting attention, but I'll have to think again. Thank you for your comment.
Yeah that was absolutely the point and it helps that they also have the woman with the twisted ovary too because in both cases it's reason someone might be turned away.
I might be wrong, but I remember the "diagnosing tastebuds" being part of a less serious case or just someone that had that happen and it was all? So yeah a few of these things shown in the show are combinations of different experiences and happened at different times
she isn't really being ignored for being dumb, but faking fainting and such
@@kakefyllyes but she faked fainting because she wanted to be seen. And she is quite dumb. Throughout the show she said many unintelligent things. That were quite funny even.
13:45 First off, love how he snaps, "Why would you do that?" and then immediately upon realising he's being a dolt, he says, "Thank you." Also, the framing of the shot is freaking fantastic. Literally seeing his reflection over the blood as he passes, it's just gorgeous and brutal. 10/10 cinematography.
Also... I just adore Ben Whishaw.
The dolphin tattoo thing was in the book. But he put something like "hey upon my lawyer's advice I need to say that this is definitely a joke and didn't happen", while also implying that it actually happened. I remembered doing a double take after reading that, because if true it's kind of a shocking story.
Yeah, I read it as a dark joke in the book. Like maybe it wasn't perfect, but he probably did his best without being a perfectionist. I definitely don't think it would have been as significant as in the show as to ruin the tattoo.
I was a Paeds SHO and got crash called for a cord prolapse and it was scarily accurate to what was on the show, except it was a midwife with a hand inside the patient. Really enjoyed this! I’ve only watched up to episode 4 because some of the things Adam does are difficult to understand.
Paeds SHO job; huge respect for getting through that. I can't imagine anything more scary than trying to resuscitate a 5 second old human.
@@DrHopeSickNotes if I had the ability to heart this comment, I would! Thank you! It was definitely difficult being the only F2 in the SHO group of GPSTs and Paeds STs but I learnt so much and really enjoyed it!
Hoping you make this a series if possible 😊
one of my first PV exams as a student midwife(many moons ago!) was a cord prolapse,definatly thrown in deep end.The stories I could tell like anyone else in the nhs.I had to retire early with a knackered back(so many nurses/midwives have damaged backs)
Please finish watching it! It's only 7 episodes long and you can see the full story only if you watch them all
Having had two C-sections seeing what the doctors have to go through is just...I am so grateful to the brilliant people who go to school for years, spend sleepless weeks to help others and bring our tiny humans into the world.
Ayo he’s back. Humanity is saved
Yes it is
@@DrHopeSickNotes lol
@@DrHopeSickNotescould you review hospital playlist! 🏥 its a phenomenal medical drama!
Hope is back on the menu boys
One of my good friends had an emergency C-section at 25 or 26 weeks bc of Preclampsia. Her son was 1 pound, 1 oz. A week later she had a brain aneurysm. They are both alive and healthy. What the doctors were able to do is nothing short of miraculous.
For the record, later on in the show, Adams more shitty behaviour and not taking patients seriously is shown to be the wrong approach. The show is setting up what seems like standard medical drama behaviour to end up being taken seriously. It's like the anti-House and I think can demonstrate to people the real life issues with seemingly harmless behaviour. Nothing wrong with a bit of gallows humour though!
I love the writing. It's addicting
I really really hope you keep reacting to the next episodes! There are only 7 episodes and it's genuinely so good.
I'll definitely be watching, so we'll see if people want me to add my thoughts, bearing in mind the show does a great job of explaining things anyway!
Dr Hope's Sick Notes I really hope you keep reacting to This Is Going To Hurt
@@DrHopeSickNotes yes!!! I wanna see more reactions to this series too! 😁
@@DrHopeSickNotes I think getting your perspective is important as well. The show was written by someone who was essentially chewed up and spit out so it makes sense he highlights the darkest moments. But the show also does get really preachy at times. I really think this is a show where you can add a lot of value given how relevant your own experiences are. But regardless of what you decide to do, thank you again for this video!
Nothing wrong with getting preachy about the NHS. People in this country take it for granted and don't care that it's being slowly dismantled. Go and look at the heath outcomes in the US compared to the UK and then tell me we shouldn't shout about what we've got.
I'm not sure about a 'Scrubs Vending Machine' as depicted, but there is certainly one in which you deposit used scrubs, to be issued a new clean pair. The logic of this has always baffled me, as you either have to deposit the scrubs at the end of your shift to get a clean pair, which you then have to store somewhere(likely not as clean as the machine), or wear the old pair home, and keep them there until your next shift(or store them in your locker), only to have to bring them back, so you can exchange them for a fresh pair, at the start of a new shift.
I am told this is an anti-theft device/policy, which I suppose makes sense given how little Interns/Residents get paid. But honestly, how many pairs of scrubs does one person need for recreational use?
My local hospital combated this by simply giving all staff, required to wear scrubs, a yearly scrub allowance, which means that a lot of the senior staff have some pretty cool scrubs, tailored to their own tastes.
That deposit to receive system could surely be improved by adding a token system. Deposit soiled scrubs and the machine issues you a token. The dispensing of clean scrubs would then require you to deposit the scrubs, immediately removing the need to store your clean scrubs, or store/take home the dirty scrubs. Although I can't imagine a trust/board of trustees/decision maker giving the go ahead for that extra step to be included in the machines, as that would increase the cost.
Wearing dirty scrubs home sounds like a great way to spread nasty diseases around since by the end of a shift, you'd have been exposed to so much. Hopefully that policy isn't in use very often.
I've never seen a scrubs machine either, especially at the time that this show would have been depicting.
It’s 2006
@@GyroCannon I had three sets of scrubs..no fresh ones everyday
i found the gallows humour quite reassuring tbh, I worked in a very hectic stressful, but thankfully non life-threatening job(unless you count food allergies) back in my early years and I saw a very similar type of humour from the people i worked with to this show.
It's certainly not unrealistic, sometimes it's a way of coping.
@@DrHopeSickNotes absolutely, we used to regularly do 90hour weeks from September all the way through till Christmas and the scenes of him falling asleep in the car park really hit home with me, I slept on a bag of flour between shifts once, all 4 hours of it.
My opinion of the book and the series isn't that this is every day in the NHS but that every doctor will have stories like these about their worst days and that the ones that keep working even with all these exceptionally bad days are amazing people, even if they do have to get through it by turning to dark humour or dehumanising their patients in order to cope.
Yay! Dr. Hope has returned! All(most) is right with the world!
Hahaha happy to be doing my bit
I remember seeing the promo teaser for this a while ago and I was thinking, “I hope Dr Ed reacts to this”, and well, what do you know! It was as if he was reading my mind here! Thanks Dr Ed and welcome back cause we missed you! 😅❤️
Awww that's made me smile, thanks!
@@DrHopeSickNotes Aww, you’re seriously making me blush Dr Ed! Your videos and comments are brilliant! We need more sensitive people out there in the world, so thank you for what you do! 🥰😊
@@DrHopeSickNotes this is isn't a doctor thing but a work-related issue(this is a reference to not having a senior member or someone that know what they are doing,than they call in and your stuck with more work) I've had it happen to a few times and I was suppose to get off(me already doing 12 hours from an hour before)I had to stay 8 more hours,and losing sleep. Mind you I was suppose to come in that day,I said Nope,the next manager will have to take their shift and mine too. I need sleep over this will Not end well..
I've read the book but only seen this first episode so far since It's heavy enough that it's hard to find the energy to watch it. I'm glad you reviewed it and hope you do more.
Like you, I was also uncomfortable with how patients can be depicted as jokes, however I liked how they explicitly showed how belittling patients (even just internally) can lead to poor treatment and even serious emergencies. It feels like showing the dark humour comes from a place of honesty around how he coped, but also from a place of shame that it affected his patients and other staff so negatively.
Edit: I want to also say that the book, espeically the author's own narration with the audiobook, comes across with much more compassion. Giving dates of diary entries helps get across how rare these moments were too. Seeing multiple entries merged together for the TV show compounds the cynicism, I think.
It's heavy but really great
I don't think you're a killjoy at all! I think your attitude towards other people is always very kind and compassionate and it reassures me to know people like you are working for the NHS 😊
And it's living evidence we can be entertaining without laughing at vulnerable people
right I love it so much!!!
Had a blast watching this series. I wonder how many of the commentators are NHS staff? As a migrant living in the UK, I cannot tell you how precious and special this institution (with and without its flaws) is. It is priceless. The first time I went to A&E and got released without having to pay sounded surreal. I kept asking the receptionist, probably to an annoying degree: are you sure? I couldn't wrap my head around it... pretty sure I still can't.
THANK YOU for what you said at 9:04. I am a Special Education teacher, and we need more understanding and empathy when communicating with people who have Learning Disabilities.
I jokingly call myself a 'professional patient'. I'm in and out of EDs and hospitals a lot because of my rare genetic kidney disease and I can rattle off the standard question answers before they ask and it becomes an amusing thing that breaks the ice for me and whoever's admitting me (are you pregnant, smoking etc). The local ED I go to rotates the junior doctors in and out of the department so often I see a different one each time and, as a result, have seen a wide variety of nationalities. I've also experienced a lot of different nationalities of nurses on wards as well.
Regardless of the colour of their skin, they're all very competent and knowledgeable professionals, but the different bedside manner people from other countries can have certainly makes the experience harder for the patients. Of course, there are NZ European doctors and nurses who could also stand to learn to be a little softer and empathetic. I try to remind myself that half of it is probably my perception and it's not going to impact the quality of my care, but it certainly has an impact on me emotionally and mentally when I'm already struggling with uncertainty.
I had Pre-Eclampsia with my first pregnancy, I'd never heard of it before I was diagnosed! (1985) It's so reassuring that there's more information about it now, even if it is a bit "gritty". Welcome back though, we've missed you!
There's a couple of shows I'd love to see you react to.
One being Quacks, which focusses on three friends (and one of their wives) in Victorian England trying to make progress in different areas of medicine: A surgeon, a dentist and an alienist (early Psychologist). It's grizzly and hilarious, the first episode has Robert Lessing attempting to break his record of amputation of the leg.
The other is A Young Doctor's Notebook, which focusses on Doctor Bomgard (Jon Hamm) reminiscing back to his early days as a Doctor (played by Daniel Radcliffe) working in a tiny Russian town during the Russian Civil War. Like Quacks it's a very dark comedy, with some ridiculous moments, but with more bleak times.
I've seen the Young Docs Notebook, then read the book, both Hamm & Radcliffe are brilliant in it, so are the supporting cast, I'll have to watch it again.
@@Rudra0141 Nice, I haven't read the book and when the show came out I only saw the first series.
But more recently I bought series 1 on DVD and watched series 2 on Amazon (for a fee).
I appreciate his care and consideration towards the patients, such as feeling uncomfortable when the patients are made the butt of the jokes and pointing out how if they had taken a patient's symptoms more seriously, they could've prevented the situation from escalating into an emergency. Healthcare in America is frustrating for many, including myself and my family, with past bad experiences, but we've also had several good experiences with kind, intelligent, patient, and caring doctors who go above and beyond to make sure we're okay.
I had an emergency c section and like the patient in the show, was wheeled into OR with a midwife's hand up there, holding baby in. From the time my water broke and I hit the emergency button to the time my daughter was born was only 20 mins! Awkward as hell and hurt like crazy but I also found it kinda funny. We're running down the hallway, crashing into walls, Midwife asks if I'm ok and all I can do is grunt and give her the thumbs up. Thank you Claire, you did an amazing job!!
Interesting! My sister is a neonatal nurse and said a lot of the same things as you. I found it interesting having read the book and having spent a lot of time in hospital when I was younger. I had preeclampsia with one pregnancy and had to have emergency c section as my baby was IUGR and had stopped growing. Thankfully due to such expertise all was ok and he is now a thriving 5 year old! 😊
Thank you for this, I know you're a busy guy but I'd love for you to hear him talk about the lack of support for mental health to doctors and other topics in interviews (Adam Kay) or perhaps check his book as the source material and how different it is! Also, get some sleep please!!!!
Yeh I have read the book, but I think I'm going to read it again after watching this. It's also why I came into it thinking it would be a lot more light hearted, this show definitely has a darker tone. Adam Kay has been a huge advocate for the NHS and junior doctors in particular, specifically shining a light on the working conditions / mental health (which kind of go hand in hand) and also his voice during the Junior Doctor strikes in 2016. I have a lot of respect for the man.
@@DrHopeSickNotes wow, uhh, hi, I did not expect you to reply thank you and long live the NHS (:
Thanks for the reaction, looks pretty good.
The whole black humour with sarcasm & bitching about the management, is almost a necessity to maintain your sanity esp. at the level of JRs & SHO along the nursing staff.
And regarding the incident about, amending the report, it happens all the time, everywhere.
I think British ppl have a very idealized view of NHS & it's workings, it's great that this show is showing something different.
Your empathy and compassion are always a joy to watch. Thank you so much
My tattoo artist told me a story about someone who had a Seven of Nine tattoo on their calf which got cut through for an operation. When they were stitched back up, it was left slightly misaligned. But when the surgeon subsequently saw this, he insisted they open it back up and re-stitch the opening, so the tattoo could be preserved (it just needed a little touch up, once it was healed). Why? Apparently, because he was a big Star Trek fan!
I’ve experienced the Kermit glove puppet dash down the corridor, but it was post delivery for a cervical tear, so I had my feet up in stirrups and one of them bounced off a closed half door.
Glad to see you back!
I’ve really enjoyed the episodes I’ve seen so far but it’s obviously a black comedy exaggeration, I’ve read a lot of reviews slamming it for being too negative but I can imagine a lot of these scenarios happen in some way or another with how stretched the NHS is and how tired doctors are. I’d love to see you review more episodes!
I think this show misses some of the humour of the book. I listened to the audio book, narrated by Adam Kay himself so it carries the humour and intention in his voice, which I think they haven't got over in this adaptation. In this it seems more darker and cynical.
Yeah I agree, it's pretty brave of Adam Kay to make himself seem like such an arsehole on his own show, certainly didn't get that impression in the book. At times I get the feeling in order to compress events into the show he's put all the decent parts of himself into Shruti (who I'm guessing is a made up character) and kept all the failings for himself.
@@davidpotter6564 yeah I was thinking that too, which is odd because I'd love a dark comedy based on it that also has the darkness it currently has - that's practically all the bbc shows i've loved.
She is made up but i'm actually not sure what to make of her yet because she seems like comedic relief done badly idk I think she must be there as a stand in for the "flashbacks" to Adam's own training as well as seeing how junior doctors are treated because we don't start early on in his career in the series and even in the audio he's going back and explain stuff like "see one do one teach one" a few times.
Ah this was a video I didn't know I was eagerly awaiting!! I would look forward to more reactions of these episodes!!
The arm thing made me laugh. my friend (stroke nurse) who used the arm raising thing before (they were faking a fainting episode), and he said the patient just continued holding their arm up once he'd let go and he was so confused by that he'd asked the patient why they were still holding their arm up, and they then dropped it. And he was trying to stay professional but so confused patient eventually gave up and tried something else. I don't even know how I'd react.
That Lift / Elevator is called a Paternoster. It has a really interesting history. I believe there is one in the Sheffield University (tallest Paternoster in UK / Europe). I live in Hamburg, Germany. Both hospitals I've worked in had Scrubs Vending Machines. You could access scrubs using your key card / access code. The Key Card had your preferred sizes and your department colours. I could have a maximum of 2 Tops and 2 Bottoms on my account at one time (not sure if different departments had different allowances). This was to avoid people being lazy and leaving scrubs in their lockers (still happened). We often had a shortage on standard sizes so you didn't want to be late to the machines!
You're such a nice guy, Dr. Hope. Obviously, everyone should be treated with the utmost compassion and respect, but this is a dramatized comedy show, and as such, it's pretty damn funny.
So happy to see a new video ❤️ Enjoyed it as always…
Thank you!
The tattoo thing did happen to my granda after a heart attack which I suspect was more due to it being such an emergency than because he caused any great offence. He had been in the merchant navy and had a ship tattooed in the middle of his chest and always used to joke that they sunk his ship
As someone with literally zero medical training, you allow me to enjoy and respect these types of shows on a whole other level than I otherwise would on my own. Thanks doc!
So excited to have you back! Love from NY!!
In Canada we have a machine that is programmed to dispense a limited amount of scrubs per staff member. Hospitals were constantly purchasing more scrubs or begging staff to return scrubs meanwhile family and friends were all outfitted in scrubs for loungewear and pjs.
As a mother of two, one as an emergency section, "brats and twats" made me laugh so hard I spat tea all over my phone 😂😂😂
As for scrubs, my university hospital has those dreadful scrub vending machines. You get only 6 credits, 1 per article of clothing (scrub top, pants, or jacket), so maximum of 3 outfits. You have to scan your badge to get new scrubs and to return them. It’s supposedly anti theft and to encourage people to use hospital laundered scrubs to be clean for surgery, but the low number of credits is crazy.
This brought back some memories I had two c section my first my son was an emergency as I had problems during labour and my daughter was because of my issues on my first they did want me to have the same issues I also had big baby’s. The midwife’s and doctors where great took good care of us
This brought back a lot of memories of working as a doctor in the NHS. I really enjoyed your reaction to episode 1 and I agree, i suspect these things didn't actually happen and it's mostly for drama. I'm doing a reaction too and you brought up things I didn't think about!
Glad to see you're still with us 😀
I still have nightmares from Paediatrics on call as a freshly pass out Junior Doctor..... Goodness me, there would be 8-10 continuous Caesarean Sections, and they would always start in 5 in the afternoon all the way to 12 mid-night. The OB-GYN consultants had made it clear to their PG residents, that someone from Paediatrics need always be present. So the PG residents would call to "receive" every other child born from a CS. They did not want any risk whatsoever.
So, I would be there in the OR, then change and run to a call from the ER, then back to OR, then a call from Labour Room, then NICU and again back to OR.......The funny thing is nobody gives a damn, even your so called colleagues, seniors or your friends. The toll it takes on you....
Made be detest the field whatsoever........
I was a clinical psychologist in the NHS and moved from job to job, city to city. Usually I was accommodated in the doctors' on-call corridor in a general hospital between starting the job and buying a house. On several occasions I have held SHOs and JRs as they wept in fatigue and grief. It can be, usually is from time to time, a grueling physical and emotional experience for young dotors.
They had a lift like that in the lecture theatre block at Leeds University. It's called a Paternoster. It was a bit dodgy to negotiate especially when still worse the wear from the night before! I think it has been done away with now. More recent Leeds students might know.
The lift at the start is known as a Paternoster lift.
They were popular primarily in the early 20th century as at the time, they could carry more people than a conventional lift.
There used to be numerous Paternoster lifts in the UK, mainly at universities, only 3 remain in use. One’s in the Grade II* listed Arts Tower of the University of Sheffield, another is in the Albert Sloman Library of the University of Essex’s Colchester campus, and one in Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow, the last remaining working Paternoster in London, used by the hospital’s staff.
My man kept the NHS afloat for a few months then has come back to give us quality content!
Many of my own memories came back to me reading the book and seeing parts of the series, from nurse training and my time in the NHS as a physiologist. Now as a very long standing patient with chronic illness so much of it rings true also. Strange seeing things from both sides. Really glad to see you review this 👍
I've worked at a hospital where they had vending machines for scrubs. Absolute nightmare! There were TWO vending machines at this rather large hospital, so there was quite a line every morning. It was a 5-minute walk to the changing rooms. Getting new scrubs took at least 15 minutes since you had to walk from the ward to the machine, then to the changing room and then back to the ward.
I think the tatoo was a intrusive though to Adam if I remember correctly, didn't happen but he though about it. Not exactly 100% though, years since I read it.
So glad to have you back! 😍 Missed your reviews))
I completely agree with you about making the patient the joke. Depictions like this, as well as lived experiences of that behaviour, can make people very hesitant to seek out medical care. It's particularly damaging for people who have medical anxiety or medical trauma as well for people who are more likely to be discriminated against (women, people of colour, members of the LGBT community, the disabled etc). If people are hesitant to seek out medical care for this reason and so avoid it, or seek it out but are then met with this kind of dismissal, there can be very serious consequences like diagnoses being missed. I understand that the show seems to be attempting to send that message with this storyline, but it may also be inadvertently perpetuating the problem.
that is quite literally what happened in the episode
1:14 it’s a Paternoster lift - a continuous loop of platforms that rise on one side and descend on the other. Don’t go over the top!! There was one in the LSE in the 1970s, only for the brave!
There was also a Paternoster lift at St Thomas Hospital in the 1970s, so it makes sense in this hospital too..bad for the patient on the floor though..as they move continuously like a ski lift!
If you pause This is Going to Hurt you can see the sign that says going over the top isn't dangerous. The lift doesn't rotate, it just shifts sideways to come down on the other side.
It’s so wonderful to hear a doctor with positive things to say about midwives because, he’s right, they’re amazing! Here in the United States when I told people I was going with a midwife people reacted as though I was having a butcher or diesel mechanic deliver my babies!
There’s a great deal of prejudice against midwives by doctors and women seeking care but I’ve never understood it. My mum was a midwife, you should go with whatever you’re most comfortable with.
I will be sick if Dr. Hope is my Doctor anyday...
This is one handsome Englishman...
Xx
I had an emergency csection 5 years ago. I give a lot of credit to the nurse and the anesthesiologist because they were the ones keeping me calm (I was very very scared). I appreciate you reviewing a show where it does depict some more "real" scenarios. After the birth, I had some comments from people about how csections were "easier" and "at least your vagina isn't ruined!". But I didn't feel like I had the easy way out at all. I was traumatised by the whole thing and have not had another child since (although I am extremely thankful to the medical team for everything). I still cry when I think about it. A lot of people think pregnancy, labour, and birth are easy "people do it everyday, no big deal" but it was the hardest thing I ever did.
They’ve got scrub machines in the royal London hospital where we're given credits to take out the relevant size scrubs. You get your credits back when you return the scrubs in a similar machine
There is a lift like that in the Arts Tower at Sheffield Uni. It's called a paternoster lift as, like the prayer, it is continually rising. New students find it terrifying but you soon get used to it. I loved this series.
I've never liked watching medical dramas but it seems like I need to this show because of Ben Whishaw!
Thank you Doc Ed for shedding some insights on th NHS!
Could you please do a part 2 of this video once you've watched the entire series? I think near the end there are some important issues that need to be addressed 🙂
Can confirm scrub machines are very real in London/down south, complete with credits! They aren't in plastic though thankfully
Thanks for the inside view, Ed. Take care of yourself.
I just wanted to say I find your comments really insightful and the NHS is lucky to have you
Good to see a new video. It's been a while. The name of that elevator at the beginning is a pater noster.
Ive seen people amend notes. I was impatient in psych and a nurse who brutalised patients got away with it as were were psych patients and apparently our word wasnt good. He knocked out a patients teeth and that was thankfully on cctv but they amended the notes to lie. Other staff involved still work there. They covered for abusers in the midst. I had previously worked for the NHS giving the care I wanted to receive so it was gutting to see this happen and I sadly see it happen a lot from a patient pov
The tattoo story is in his book as something that genuinely happened. I also remember in his book the story about diagnosing a patient with tastebuds. I feel like that character got the short end of the stick because I think they combined a lot of different ‘oh the patient was having a “dumb” moment’ stories like the taste buds, giving her own age in weeks, faking unconsciousness to try and get seen quicker etc, into one character
Also yeah it’s a brutal look at the NHS but also remember this is set in 2006, when he was a junior doctor and the NHS has come along way since then when it comes to attitudes, how they treat and interact with the patients and the manner in which they do things.
Yeah. I second that. There’s been a lot of change in the last decade and a half.
Loved this! Found the book unputdownable and the series great too although tough to watch at times. Would love to see more of these if you have the time and fancy filming it! 🥰 thank you for your amazing content xax
Thanks for making this video! Because the tone feels so true to life it's tricky to tell what's a true story and what's a dramatisation. It's good to hear a doctor talking about how important it is to take patients seriously. Especially women and even more especially women of colour often have their pain completely dismissed as stress. This leads to things like endometriosis being woefully under diagnosed, putting people in avoidable life threatening situations.
All the issues you picked up ( rightly so) are not just throwaway jokes or moments, they do have repercussions throughout the series. These things happen in this episode to address what is not ok, and how that can effect the patients care and the doctors career and confidence. It's not just a joke making the patient the butt of the joke, its showing how stressed and overworked adam is that he becomes frustrated and complacent and therefore delivered bad care and put mum and baby's life at risk. This storyline is followed throughout the series to highlight the knock on effect of that type of behaviour. They do not excuse this behaviour in the series.
Maybe it's because I'm currently on neonates and the consultants are lovely but if the reg has been in all day and the night reg doesn't come in, then the only thing that you can do is the consultant comes in 🙃
Please watch this through to the end. I really think you’ll appreciate the direction the narrative goes and how Adam and his actions play out and how we are led to perceive patients
Lift /paternoster, I experienced one while training in St Thomas' hospital in the late 1960s, it took time to get use to using it, particularly timing the moment you got off.
If I understand that last bit, a doctor 'revising' a statement in a chart (at least, I think that's what you were inferring), I'm not a nurse by my SIL is here in the States, and yeah, that happens. Doctors pressuring nurses to amend statements, while not common, apparently popped up from time to time, especially if the actual statement makes the hospital look bad. One I remember in particular from about twenty years ago is her having an emergency in her LDRP ward and folks there couldn't find the anesthesiologist. He later shows up twenty minutes after procedure is started. She notes it in records. Next day, she is told that the Dr. was in fact there the entire time and she needs to reflect that account. (massive eyeroll)
The US and private hospitals in general definitely don't have the nurse strength of the public systems. I work in a public ED in Aus and could never be asked to amend anything.
Would love to see more videos on this series, I feel like there's a lot of insight a doctor could give to it.
As someone who has worked a desk job before, yeah most of us would happily curse someone out under our breath for making our job unnecessarily harder. Not sure what the woman was asking about, but never trust anyone in customer service that you're a few meters away from
I have to say I have watched the whole series.
Spoilers for the rest of the post. I have worked in the NHS for 42 years now and recognise so many of the situations Adam Kaye faced but what I don’t recognise is the lack of team support. I found Adam to be an awful doctor lacking empathy and respect for his patients, though technically skilled in procedures. Also a terrible human being not respecting or supporting his team nor mentoring his juniors or supporting his partner.
I am so glad he is out of doctoring, I found myself agreeing whole heartedly with Tracy when she reported him for dangerous practice because he was too arrogant to be part of a team and listen to others. He put patients at risk with his attitude in fact I reported a student nurse to the university, failed his module when he nearly killed a patient through arrogance and not listening to his team.
That’s the thing I don’t recognise as true, the only way the NHS functions is through team support and recognising experience to promote good practice. As a nurse I have supported junior doctors and very rarehhly found one not grateful for that support, I have also been supported by doctors at all levels and been really grateful for that support. Team work is the only way to cope and achieve the best for patients and a way to cope with all the stress.
That’s why Adams journey as a junior doctor was so bad for him and ended up with Shilpa committing suicide because he directly made it so horrible for her.
The dreadful situations, the scarcity of equipment and much needed follow up, are all recognisable to me, I too have been so frustrated I want to tear my hair out, but at that point , what made it bearable was the support I received from my colleagues and the support I gave to my colleagues urough the same thing. At no point did Adam seek nor give support, fair enough he didn’t get any but on several occasions we saw him reject any idea of team or needing or giving support. THATS why he should never have been a doctor, the arrogance to think that he was above different members of his team and appalling way he thought about and treated the patients.
I hope those years are behind him now and he treats others with the respect they deserve. I am glad he is no longer a doctor, he should have lost in that GMC case he absolutely deserved to loose.
I hope he is happier and can lead a life not damaging to others or himself.
After watching the series I went and read the book. In the series real Adam Kay's journey was divided between Adam and Shruti's characters. In reality Adam Kay left medicine so he wouldn't end up like Shruti. The TV series was very cynical and dark in comparison to the book.
At our hospital, we had scrub machines with credits.
I haven’t watched this yet but I’m really hoping we can get it in Australia some time.
One show I loved was the one called Getting On with Jo Brand.
So happy to see this come across my feed!
The lift is called a Paternoster (sp?) , fairly rare.
Yep right spelling. You mostly only See this in really old buildings
This was awesome to watch you react to, I'm going to have to check this show out myself.
I was excited to see the upload notification that you'd uploaded =)
Thank you for everything you do, and THEN you also run a RUclips channel, badass man, bad ass.
Thank you for mentioning that most "emergent" c-sections are still not life threatening. My sister in law just delivered via c-section last week. She had been induced on a Thursday and they elected for a section on a Sunday after she'd only progressed 4cm despite being in active labour most of that time. They still gave her the option to try for 4 more hours before they made the call for her but she decided it wasn't worth it. I myself was also starting to be presented with the c-section option 4 years ago when my daughter was born but I was much more than 4cm along and I started naturally so it hadn't been literally 4 days, so I refused and an hour later I had my little girl naturally
I worked at 55 King St in Manchester for a Bank, Nat West in 1975 to 1985 and that lift was called a Paternoster lift and yes open and you jump on and off and you can stay in the box and go 'over the top' and begin coming back down - a moment of darkness and then the light again. .. they were a great idea and so very quick.... UNTIL the guy with something too large got into it and it broke it like large long ladders etc !!!
The lift is great; we had one at my University. It’s called a Paternoster. I love it, although it always broke on “essay submission day”.
The scrubs at our hospital come out of something similar to a vending machine but not beautifully wrapped in plastic lol. When you return your scrubs the machine gives you a credit , if you run out of credits it won't dispense anymore scrubs. I usually just get a dirty pair from the hamper and deposit those and get the credit for new scrubs.
Please do the rest of the episodes! I loved this for how real it was, (like you say about how there's nothing I can't see not happening and alot of it that I have) and not having anyone to talk it through with has been kinda hard so is great to get to speak (one way convo but still feels like discussing it) about the series overall and some of the specifci scenes.
The wierd lift ist called a "paternoster". Last one I recall was in the adminstrative building of Bayer Chemicals in Germany circa 1990 I dont think they exist anywhere in an NHS hospital
Ben Wishaw...is amazing. My favourite actor in a very long time. 😊
Yess, you're back! Missed these awesome videos🔥
The lift you see in the first scene is called a paternoster, they are continuously moving and you step on and off without it ever stopping, I've ridden one and they are great fun, but you have to be good on your feet to do it safely, getting on one during an emergency like that is just foolhardy, I won't use one these days due to damaged knees.
The doctor is in, I repeat the doctor is in
There was also an episode of grey's anatomy where they messed up a guy's swastica tattoo after surgery.. I think it was Dr. Bailey who did it
These kinds of elevators are called Paternoster lifts - we have one in out city's old town hall. They are quite fun to ride - once you get used to them ;)
The first thing I wanted to do is telling you to review this after I have watched, thank you for already did it
Not a doctor, but the scrubs vending machine looked like my old job's PPE vending machine. You used your ID to get anything. You were not charged for it but it would go on your record to reduce stealing making sure you were taking things you actually needed.
Edit: It also was an instant transfer to inventory so they could update their new requests for what PPE was needed.
Hope by name, hope by nature. We salute you, Doc ❤️ The Captain Winters of the NHS
I have glaucoma, and missed a year of eye drops because of lack of insurance. The first ophthalmologist was weal. but soom smart enough to know I needed a glaucoma specialist. I meet her and explain that my cousin is ophthalmologist, and I explained that he already yelled at me for missing the year. Her answer was- good, because then I don't have to. At that moment, I knew she was my doctor.
The "Scrubs machine" actually does pop up in the show Scrubs, specifically in "My Sacrificial Clam" (1x21).
Please could you watch the series. I saw it and asked my wife if Dr Ed had seen it. I clicked so fast when I saw your episode appear in my feed!