One of the problems with oncology is that the treatment can in some circumstances affect your fertility. Many, many years ago I was lucky enough to meet a young man who would leave a lasting impression on me. He was about 17 years of age when I met him and we can call him Peter […]

It is important that doctors are evaluated by their customers, the people they serve, their patients and in turn the parents. The regulatory authorities such as the GMC, place great emphasis on getting feedback from a large patient population together with feedback from colleagues and peers to ensure that a doctor is performing satisfactorilly. We […]

My first experience of disaster relief work came after the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004. This killed more than 230,000 people from 14 countries after a 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the northern tip of Sumatra in Indonesia. The tsunami had the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima type atom bombs, causing the largest magnitude earthquake in […]

It is a privilege to be a children’s doctor. Over the years I have been able to treat children with cancer, cystic fibrosis and other conditions which can have a huge impact on their health. Being in hospital for a long time can have a massive effect on a child’s mental health, so I go […]

As part of my training as a children’s doctor I had to undertake my professional (also known as “Royal college”) exams. This was very early on in my career. These exams are held at different locations around the UK and I decided that I would go to Titterington,a city in the north of England, to […]

  The room was dark and there was the hum of machines working in the background. I was laid on my bed trying to get some rest whilst on call at one of the largest teaching hospitals in Europe. It was about 3am and I was battling between trying to get some sleep and worrying […]