I had heard a lot about this book and then saw it a lot on Instagram. Even my friends who don’t really read we’re recommending that I read it. And as an NHS worker I felt almost obliged to take a peek into somebody else’s NHS world.

It did not disappoint.

The book is a collection of diary entries that Dr Kay wrote throughout his medical career. Some absolutely hilarious patient stories balanced with the ridiculous expectations in junior doctors within the NHS. It’s astounding really that we have such a shortage of medics in the country yet we treat them so badly. Don’t get me wrong, as a non-medic within the NHS I have always just witnessed doctors as ‘special’ who seemingly get to do whatever they want. So reading about Adam’s experience was really insightful.

I’ve got to say my favourite entry that has really stuck with me is about the lady who attended in an emergency about new spots of her tongue that were painless but concerning, Dr Kay diagnoses her as having… taste buds. Hilarious. But also on a serious note an absolute waste of resource, which is already stretched so thin.

I definitely think there is work to do on how we continue to support not just medics but all NHS staff with their mental health. Death is literally part of the job and there’s only so much anybody can take before it effects them. I hear so many stories of people struggling with their own mental health and work definitely has an impact on them.

A 5/5 read and I would absolutely recommend it to anybody. It’s really easy to read too and not too long. It would keep most people’s attention and give a good laugh whilst also a deeper understanding of the pressure the NHS faces daily.