Medical Perspective: Anaesthesia

Anaesthesia is the medical specialty which is responsible for managing the pain of patients as well making sure that they stay sedated during operations. Usually this specialty forms the largest department in hospitals over the UK and around two thirds of all patients admitted to hospital come into contact with a doctor in this specialty.

Let the games begin!

I remember in the time up to my interviews for medical school myself and other students in our sixth forms medical society were panicking as we tried to wrap our head around these reforms in the very scary case that we were asked a question about it. These reforms were first proposed in 2012 under the Health and Social Care act causing the largest shake up of the NHS since it began. Under this act GP's (family doctors) are placed in charge of 80% of the NHS budget (replacing Primary care trusts which were scrapped), patients have more control over the care that they receive and frontline doctors and nurses are also given more power. Another one of the more controversial changes was a move towards a market-based running of the NHS as opposed to a planned healthcare system which would allow for an increase in the number of private patients a hospital can have as well as the allowing of private companies to take over certain services at hospitals  And on Monday 1st April 2013 this Act was put into action across all of the NHS.

Medical perspective: A&E

Each week I'll be discussing a different medical specialty for anybody who is interested in going to medical school or is already there and is still not sure what it is that they want to do.
This week I'll be discussing my dream specialty -  Accident and Emergency medicine.

'Hello you've reached 111, Please Hold...'

Over the past couple of days there has been one topic which has dominated UK health news and that topic is the new 111 NHS helpline. This helpline is intended to replace the NHS direct line as well as to take over the out-of-hours GP phone line and it is to be used by those who have a medical emergency but one which is not serious enough for a standard 999 call.

When I grow up...

1. When I graduate I want to be an A&E doctor

2. Be part of a medical research team

3. I really want need to live in Paris