Confessions of a GP by Doctor Benjamin Daniels

Hello Readers,

This was one of the first audiobooks I got from Audible (It was either this or Miranda Hearts Autobiography) years ago ironically during a hospital stay and couldn't help but compare it to my experience of being there. I honestly think this book was brilliant and was not a disappointment and I find that I go back to it a lot.  You will laugh and cringe and I think it is an amazing insight into the challenges that healthcare professionals have to face. I know I don’t usually contain the synopsis but this one was a little hard to explain so I have included the synopsis from GoodReads.

This book started a trend I also have

N  Further confessions of a GP by Benjamin Daniels

N  Confession of a male nurse by Michael Alexander

N  Doctor’s Notes by Dr Rose Leonard

Synopsis

Benjamin Daniels is angry. He is frustrated, confused, baffled and, quite frequently, very funny. He is also a GP. These are his confessions.

A woman troubled by pornographic dreams about Tom Jones. An 80-year-old man who can't remember why he's come to see the doctor. A woman with a common cold demanding (but not receiving) antibiotics. A man with a sore knee. A young woman who has been trying to conceive for a while but now finds herself pregnant and isn't sure she wants to go through with it. A 7-year-old boy with 'tummy aches' that don't really exist.

These are his patients.

Confessions of a GP is a witty insight into the life of a family doctor. Funny and moving in equal measure it will change the way you look at your GP next time you pop in with the sniffles.

Review

Dr Daniels is a pseudonym for someone working in the NHS who, at time of writing, has been a GP for a few years and actually, despite everything, is loving it. Dr Daniels comes over as a caring but a funny doctor and clearly is still in love with his profession which is great.  This book is written like an autobiography type memoir so if you're not into biographies then give it a miss although you'd missing a great insight into what it's like working as a GP for the NHS. The book details Daniels accounts of being a very junior doctor having been woefully prepared for life as the most junior doctor on the ward.  There’s a good balance between the patients he has encountered and his thoughts on the NHS. His accounts of being on call, often exhausted and racing from one ward to another are hilarious. There are the usual variety of ogre Consultants and ward sisters. Some of the opinions and thought processes might appear a little harsh at first glance, however, Dr Daniels does make the effort to cushion the blow. Daniels discusses practice targets, ten-minute appointment slots and regularly advises us how to get the most out of our GP It is professional and does not scaremonger

The variations between sad, heart-breaking, hilarious and just plain gross!  is quite refreshing, however, Daniels doesn't really allow the reader to wallow in the darker side of the job for too long.  Also, some of what you may read in this book may surprise or infuriate you. It's staggering to know what some people will go to the doctors for and the expectations they have. It reminds you that yes you might be feeling a bit grotty and be grumpy and you had to ring a couple of times to get an appointment or everything is running late but just maybe that’s because the medical team are actually saving lives and dealing with real emergencies. It all about perspective.

I honestly laughed out loud at this book and the sequel. Doctor Daniels shows how difficult it is to get it right on all levels as a General Practitioner. I also thought that this was a wonderful listen while in hospital and it really does change your perspective.

L x