It's hardly a daily diary but at least in this occasion its only a few days rather than a year.

Having a quiet day today as I had to forego my list because of a 'back' problem. Should be OK for the cardiac list on Friday .

Glen told me that one of the Cardiolgitst has checked with the local LNC about steve's recent email and predictably they think that the trust cannot just ride a coach and horses through nationally agreed terms and conditions - Foundation or not! I bet Steve's head hurts nowadays!! I have had the 2 school kids with me this week. They are extraordinarily keen and bright and they have only just done O Levels.
They are in echo at the moment. They then can come with me to the cardiology meeting (free food) and then a ward round.

ps. I have had to recover a bottle of pop in the fridge of the mangement corridor kitchen because Marie is unhappy about it? What is wrong with that woman?

It's hardly a daily diary but at least in this occassion its only a few days rather than a year.

Having a quiet day today as I had to forego my list because of a 'back' problem. Should be OK for the cardiac list on Friday .

Glen told me that one of the Cardiolgitst has checked with the local LNC about steve's recent email and predictably they think that the trust cannot just ride a coach and horses through nationally agreed terms and conditions - Foundation or not! I bet Steve's head hurts nowadays!! I have had the 2 school kids with me this week. They are extraordinarily keen and bright and they have only just done O Levels.
They are in echo at the moment. They then can come with me to the cardiology meeting (free food) and then a ward round.

Returning to blogging after another long interval. Its just like golf - can't quite get into it although i know at the end of the road it could be quite therapeutic and therfore keep forcing myself to come back! Actually, in the past 1-2 months, I have been reading more blogs and today I read in the ZDNET.co.uk that our glorious leader (TB) has been advised by a Silicon Valley CEO he should blog more. So here I am taking that advice for myself and I will try and do this regularly.


I have just had a frustating blood pressure rising conversation with one of Manchester's finest. he has decided on behalf of Halifax car insurance that it was not worth defending my version of the truth (backed up by good photographic evidence) of a car accident that occurred 2 months ago . They have accepted liability. They even were unwilling to get in touch with a witness whose details I have given them. My premium goes up, they get their money back and the old blind git who crashed into my car gets off scott free. And thats after I have paid hundreds of pounds over the years to pay for legal services. I am seething!! Either the law sucks or possibly Halifax car insurance could not be bothered to protect its clients by employing someone with a burberry baseball hat as its legal brains!!

well b*****ks to them

Just got a ring from Graham - off to the pub. As I can publish photos howabout a piccy of my leaving do cake baked by Tara - top practitioner.
It's not that simple bloody hell!! will have to sort it out tomorrow as i am off for an alcoholic imbibement!!??

I haven't contributed for over 1 year. amazing - alot has happened since. Left that cesspit and now working in Sheffield in a first rate dpertment with excellent standards. The managers seem to be switched on although there is resentment towards them by some clinicians.

Just waiting for Graham to ring me. Hope to be going out for a drink. I might just ring him - hope he hasn't p****d off.

Haven't wrote anything for a while. Had a good day at work today. Had a good teaching session with the 'boys' and did some work on the VLAD paper for the European meeting. The closing date is April 1st . There is however online submission of abstracts. Saw a patient at the Chase tonight.

Had a nice steak for dinner with a very good red wine. I will have to pop into the hospital tomorrow and then will have to get some work done and start writing chapter 1.

Before leaving work today, popped into theatre for a cigarette and unbelievably Patel is doing an elective Arch aneurysm in somebody with extensive aneurysmal disease elsewhere. This is the same guy who felt that I should not be doing a Cox-Maze - how disingenuous can you get. The patient must be a pp. I might just drop a note to Bob.

Came home late today. Did the famous AVR & CoxMaze case today with Mo. Went OK although needed alot of haemostasis to complete. Getting a bit of of pressure to do the cancelled case - surprise, surprise.

Yet another case was cancelled today because others were operating late. Bob's frankly useless. The patient will breach 6 months at the end of March and it is unlikely I'll be able to slot her in before the end of the month because of cancelled lists etc. No doubt Alice Casey will be making her way to the office. She'll have to offer good money for me to do it after hours or she'll try and get one of my colleagues to do it. With any luck the patient will refuse.

The one case I did, a CABG and MV repair in an 78 year old went well .

Hope to get some work. Absolutely have to start writing the wretched thing this weekend.

Had a busy day today. Big clinic today without my registrar who is away today. Had 2 junior docs who shadowed me. Got an email about the future of thoracic services in the Midlands. What started as an exercise to see if thoracic surgery should take place in Wolverhampton has now become an exercise by managers to dictate what services should be offered by individual trusts. So much for individual freedom and devolution to foundation trusts. The NHS is becoming the proving ground for the control freakery and Stalinist tendency of this government.
Had a lung cancer research meeting . Potentially we have a good thing for this trust - however I suspect the central control outlined above may scupper all efforts.
Off to the pub to celebrate the end of Sue's semester . I am very excited about what Sue is doing and thanks to Geoffrey - top class guy.