A “Quiet” Week (Apparently)

Disclaimer

This blog occasionally references real-life events, hospital life, parenting logistics, junior tennis politics, and the general chaos of modern family scheduling. Any clinical reflections are written in a personal capacity and should not be interpreted as medical advice or official NHS policy. Patient details are anonymised and altered where necessary. Also, any resemblance between this blog and an organised life is purely coincidental.
Some details of clinical situations have been intentionally altered to preserve patient anonymity in accordance with NMC professional guidance.

For once, the sporting calendar this week was… dare I say it… relatively relaxed.

Now before readers faint from shock, let me clarify: relaxed in our household still means several sporting events, multiple logistical challenges, work-related chaos, and a garage that looks like a recycling centre annex.

But compared to recent weeks of Ninja Warrior courses, Somerset U9 tennis representation, Dragon Tour tournaments and martial arts sessions, this week felt almost suspiciously calm.

That being said, life itself clearly decided to fill the gap.

And therefore, dear readers, I must apologise for the delayed blog update. It wasn’t laziness. It was life.

Monday – Defeated by the MOT Gods

Monday began with a rare sporting casualty: we had to skip our son’s usual martial arts session.

This decision had two causes. First, he was still recovering from the previous weekend’s sporting extravaganza involving Ninja Warrior and representing Somerset at U9 level tennis. Even energetic eight-year-olds have limits, apparently.

Second, one of our cars had to go for its MOT.

And as anyone in the UK knows, the MOT process operates somewhere between mechanical inspection and ancient ritual.

Our trusty VW Up initially failed due to two catastrophic issues: a broken fuel cap and a light bulb.

I received the news around 10am while at work. Slightly annoying, but nothing dramatic. A quick fix surely.

By the time I arrived at the garage at 4pm, however, the car still hadn’t been repaired.

Thus began the waiting.

4:30pm passed.
5:00pm passed.
5:15pm passed.

Still no car.

I politely explained that I would need to leave shortly to collect my son from school and that the car would ideally be ready within the next 15 minutes.

This information appeared to generate approximately zero urgency.

Only when I gently mentioned that I would have to leave immediately did the repair process suddenly accelerate with remarkable enthusiasm.

Unfortunately, the damage had already been done. Rush-hour traffic at that time of day turns any British town into a slow-moving parking lot.

Which meant I had to call our neighbour and ask the most dreaded parenting favour:

“Any chance you could collect our son from school?”

Luckily they had just picked up their daughters and very kindly went back to collect him.

The downside of this logistical rescue mission was that martial arts that evening became impossible.

And thus Monday set the tone for the week.

NHS Reality Check

Back at work the usual winter reality was unfolding.

Staffing issues.

Not surprising at this time of year when coughs, colds, sniffles and assorted winter bugs sweep through hospital teams like an unwanted visiting relative.

Multiple departments were affected, including theatre staff.

In fact, I believe this week may have been the first time this year that Upper GI elective surgery had to be cancelled.

Rescheduling these patients is never easy.

And the real impact isn’t administrative — it’s personal. Patients mentally prepare themselves for surgery. They organise work leave, family support and recovery plans. When an operation is cancelled at short notice, that preparation collapses overnight.

It’s one of the hardest parts of NHS winter pressures.

Wednesday – When Patients Are Really Sick

Wednesday was mentally the toughest day of the week.

Hospitals are full of sick people, obviously. But there are degrees of illness.

Clinicians use various early warning scoring systems to help determine how unwell someone is. The most common in UK hospitals is the NEWS2 score (National Early Warning Score) which tracks vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels, temperature and consciousness level.

Higher scores mean higher risk.

Alongside these objective tools, clinicians also rely heavily on experience and clinical judgement — the famous “something isn’t right” feeling that experienced nurses and doctors develop over time.

On Wednesday we had several patients firmly in the very sick category.

One particular patient needed urgent imaging. Transport staff were not immediately available.

So one of our F1 doctors and I did the obvious thing.

We wheeled the patient to CT ourselves.

No drama. No debate.

Just push the bed and go.

Occasionally you still hear people say:

“That’s not in my job description.”

Personally, I find that mindset baffling in healthcare. The priority is the patient in front of you, not a theoretical list of duties.

For the F1 and myself it was a complete no-brainer.

As it turned out, the CT scan revealed significant problems and the patient went to theatre that same evening.

Having spent the entire day managing the case, I stayed until about 9pm to watch most of the surgery.

Partly professional curiosity.
Partly clinical continuity.
Partly because when you invest that much time into a patient, you naturally want to see the outcome.

Thursday – A “Day Off”

Thursday was technically my day off.

However, NHS staff will recognise that phrase as somewhat flexible.

My phone occasionally rings with questions from the team. To be fair, I actively tell our F1 doctors that if they have an issue on my normal day off (not annual leave) they can send a text and I’ll try to help if I can.

Most of the time Thursdays are relatively peaceful.

Drop our son at school.

Maybe play a board game.

Possibly research or write something for the blog.

However this Thursday had a slightly emotional moment.

It was Lami’s last day with the Upper GI team.

She had been seconded from Montacute ward for the last 12 months and quickly became a valued part of the team. One of those nurses who quietly gets things done without fuss.

I organised a card for everyone to sign and one of the F1s bought flowers.

She has huge potential and I suspect it’s only a matter of time before she moves permanently into a Band 6 or even Band 7 role.

For now she returns to her Band 5 post on a busy surgical ward — which is undoubtedly gaining an excellent nurse back.

Still, she will be missed.

Tennis Intelligence Network

Thursday also delivered another piece of news via the unofficial Somerset Parent Intelligence Network.

One of the OTs in the hospital called to tell me that tennis training had been cancelled.

Her son and our son both play in the Somerset squad, so news travels quickly through unofficial channels.

Sometimes faster than official emails.

Friday – Stability Returns

By Friday most of our sick patients had stabilised somewhat.

Still unwell, but improving.

Which in hospital terms counts as a good day.

I managed to leave work around 6pm, which felt like a small victory.

Unfortunately it was still too late to get our son to his missed martial arts class, so my wife heroically took over that mission.

The reason attendance mattered this week is that belt grading is happening on Sunday, and extra practice never hurts.

Weekend Plans

So.

What’s occurring this weekend?

(My apologies to anyone unfamiliar with Gavin & Stacey)

My wife is working the weekend, which means Daddy Day Care is fully operational.

Saturday includes the usual swimming session and a cinema trip to watch Hoppers, which apparently has excellent reviews. We saw the trailer during half term when we watched Goat, and it looked reasonably entertaining.

Sunday morning brings the martial arts grading, which means arriving at the club around 10:30am.

Either before or after that I must also perform a heroic expedition to the recycling centre because our garage is currently overflowing with debris from last week’s conservatory clearance.

The recycling centre run may actually be the most physically demanding activity of the entire weekend.

Final Thoughts

So yes, technically this week was quieter on the sporting front.

But between MOT chaos, sick patients, cancelled surgery, staff illness, emotional farewells and the usual parenting logistics, it certainly didn’t feel slow.

Still, things seem to be settling down slightly.

Which can only mean one thing.

Next week will probably be absolute chaos again.

And just when things appear to calm down… the next tennis tournament is already around the corner next weekend.

So the sporting circus continues.