A (WORKING) DAY IN THE LIFE OF DR WILLIAMS!
5.45am
Alarm again! Wake my 3 children who, like me, don’t want to get up... get them
dressed and feed the chickens whilst my husband walks the dog. Make them breakfast (that’s the
children, not the chickens) and check the school bags whilst grabbing a quick breakfast for myself
and then get dressed.
6.50am
Chaos descends as I supervise a screaming argument between my two daughters mothers have great negotiating skills!! - and then my 3 yr old son spills milk all over my top, so I nip
upstairs to change again! I say goodbye to my husband who is taking the children to school and
nursery and head off.
7.20am
Arrive just before morning surgery starts. What I love about General Practice is that
any problem, physical or emotional, can step through the door and you have just ten minutes to do
your best for that patient. Today, there is a wide variety of issues including some very serious and
urgent problems. I usually run late because of this, but most patients are very understanding! We
have some lovely patients and the morning passes quickly. Between patients, I answer requests for
home visits, telephone calls for urgent advice and queries from the hospital. I am also vomited on
by a little boy with an earache, and a baby wees on me during his health check so I am smelling a
little less than pleasant now!
10.30am
End of morning surgery – I am running late due to the complex problems we
have had today. I dictate some referral letters, and go through my blood test results. My registrar
(trainee GP) comes in and I discuss her morning surgery and provide some teaching.
10.45am
I start on our large pile of prescriptions. There are usually around 200 a day, and
each repeat request must be individually checked and actioned on the patient’s notes. One of our
lovely receptionists pops in with some more paperwork and some queries, but also brings me some
strong coffee and a biscuit – the biscuits always help me get through the day!!
11.30am
I meet up with the other doctors, lead nurse and managers for our weekly Practice
meeting. We discuss problems within the practice, including any complaints received from patients,
significant events, and management issues which can include anything from surgery opening times
to the provision of equipment. This is important to make sure all doctors are aware of complaints or
issues that matter to patients.
12.30pm
I have 2 visits and an appointment at the crematorium to examine one of our
patients who sadly died, in order that I can authorise a cremation form.
1.45pm
I would normally run a lunchtime clinic to fit contraceptive implants, but today I am
attending a Child Protection meeting at Pinderfields hospital in my role as lead GP for Child
Protection. It is an important and necessary part of the job, but very challenging. I eat a sandwich in
the car on the way back to surgery.
3pm
Afternoon surgery. It is always a privilege that patients trust us to try and help them
at the times of crisis in their lives, and this afternoon I see two patients that are suicidal and another
whose husband has sadly died. I see patients with high blood pressure, lung cancer, a nasty rash and
a bowel problem amongst others. My registrar pops in for advice, and between patients I take
some more urgent telephone calls - but I am now running late again and the afternoon has flown by!
6pm
I discuss some patients with my registrar and finish the remaining prescriptions, sign
my referral letters and finish more paperwork including the large pile of hospital letters that come
every day in the post – time for another coffee!
6.30pm
Emma the receptionist is knocking on the door wanting to lock the surgery up, so I
leave a pile of work to finish in the morning and head off home.
7.15pm
I arrive home; the dog is the most excited out of everyone to see me! My 3 yr old is
already asleep, so I read my 6 yr old a bedtime story and kiss her goodnight. I try to help my oldest
daughter with her homework but, embarrassingly, I do not understand it – do other parents have
this problem?!
8.15pm
Start cooking dinner whilst chatting to my husband – we try not to talk about
medicine at home so I try to teach him how to use the oven instead...
9.15pm
Turn on the computer and check some outstanding tasks that didn’t get done today.
I prepare for a tutorial for our registrars tomorrow, and I prepare some notes from my Child
Protection meeting today to be able to pass onto the other GPs. Stick some washing on and close
the chicken coop – they look nice and cosy in there and makes me think of heading to bed!
10.30pm
Just time to catch up with some favourite TV – but a battle with my husband over
who gets the remote control!
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