The first winter storm and saying goodbye 😥

During my final week we experienced the first winter gales. The wind got up to storm force 11 on the Beaufort Scale (for all you nautical weather geeks). The Aberdeen ferry was cancelled for 24 hours which resulted in some quite amusing Facebook posts about the usual and totally unnecessary panic buying in the local shops. Here is a Facebook photo of the last ferry to leave before the next one was cancelled 🤢

And my consulting room visibility was not so great….

The locals are quite used to such winds and gave me some useful car door advice. Apparently many a car door has been blown off by the winter storms. The locals have learnt to park the car facing into the wind to avoid this though it can make it tricky to get out of the car in the first place.

It makes you wonder how the local people spend their winters and the answer is they are very sociable and have a real sense of community spirit. The annual “Up Helly Aa” Viking festival provides a distraction in the short dark days - groups of friends get together in “squads” and spend weeks designing costumes and choreographing a dance for the show. However, I’m quite glad I’m not the GP on call during the festival - a lot of alcohol is consumed and last year there was a nasty RTA on the island to deal with. 

On one of the calmer weekend days I managed to join the nurse and her local outdoor swimming group for a dip, they were in the 10 degree sea for about 45 minutes. I was in for about five. We took it in turns holding the on-call phone and I parked right next to the beach for a quick getaway if needed. 

Norwick Beach 

There are two craft places to visit on the Island. So we went along to https://www.glansinglass.co.uk/ (a glass maker / designer) with the most beautiful visitor centre overlooking the sound towards the Island of Yell. Cheryl was delightful and gave us a history of her business and a tale about her rat phobia (she’s a farmers wife!). Apparently there are no rats on Yell - there’s a lot of inter island banter here. She says even the rats don’t like Yell 😂  

The following weekend we visited Mella Soaps https://www.mellasoap.co.uk/ - a natural soap and candle making workshop. I was in heaven, spent a small fortune and Mel the owner, was also an absolute delight to chat to.  

What a couple of dream jobs. 

 

It sounds like I didn’t do any work after my first week, I did, though the intensity was significantly less than I’m used to. One case stands out - Cauda Equina which is a spinal emergency. After being told off by a junior doctor probably 25 years my junior for not doing a PR (there were reasons, I would normally do this, it was also irrelevant as the patient needed urgent imaging regardless). Anyway I felt vindicated as the patient had an urgent CT scan and was subsequently transferred by plane to Aberdeen. I will have to phone up next week, once I’ve left Shetland, to find out the outcome of this case. 

I admitted a couple of other patients to hospital this week - I’m still getting used to different types of decision making. Back home I might have arranged an urgent blood test to be back later that day to aid my decision or referred the patient to a same day emergency assessment clinic at the hospital but that’s just not possible here. You reach a level of care and investigation that means either you either accept more risk or admit the patient to hospital. That’s the choice. 

The other issue is logistics. I’ve been causing chaos on the already slightly chaotic inter-island ferries by asking them to wait for the patient to allow timely transfer to hospital. It all feels uncomfortable at times - as it’s not what I’ve got used to over the past 24 years as a GP! I’m sure given time you get used to this. The locals certainly seem accepting of it all. 

I’m feeling restored and reinvigorated for my job both mentally and physically. At home in Dorset, I’m constantly boring John with my moans of frequent, almost daily low grade illness such as migraines and infections. I’ve had none of this since working here. 

Time will tell how this sabbatical has changed my view (or not) of my job back home and the partnership role - I now have the confidence and knowledge that there is an alternative career path out there even at my ripe old age, and I have made new connections in Dorset to explore side roles in A&E or urgent care should I wish to pursue these. 

The stress, intensely busy days and excessive working hours in standard U.K. general practice is just not sustainable. I am concerned for the future of the profession. In Wessex we normally have almost 60 trainees. In the next intake we have around 10. This does not bode well for those of us left trying to prop up a failing system. 

My time here started off as Type 2 fun (see earlier blog for definition), it was not enjoyable but I knew it was a process and I would settle in to the role. I also knew I’d look back and be glad I’d done it. The preparation in the months leading up to it and the 3 days shadowing gave me the confidence I needed to persevere. By the end, it was actually almost Type 1 fun, if work can ever be that? (maybe if you’re a soap maker or glass designer it is….🤷‍♀️). 

I’ve been made to feel so welcome and part of a supportive friendly team at work in such a short space of time - I shall be very sorry to leave but I’m looking forward to seeing my family again and the Dorset climate - it’ll be nice not having to wear everything I own every time I leave the house. 

As this sabbatical has shown, general practice can be one of the best jobs in the world and a passport to adventure. I hope I can inspire others to get out of their comfort zone and learn or experience something new. If I can do it, anyone can 🩵