I gave up alcohol — but then became a miserable workaholic
I'd never really understood what the term 'burnout' meant until one evening in March 2018 when I was speeding along London's Embankment on my Vespa. I had just finished a typically intense day: up at 5am to run 10k by the river, a full day in the busy offices of my TV production company then hosting a live, three-hour drive-time show on a national radio station.
I was productive and ostensibly fit but I had not been happy for a while and couldn't work out why. Usually, my brain drip-fed me anxiety in bite-size pieces throughout the day. Work, health, money, kids. But on this particular day, with seemingly no warning, the floodgates opened. Every worry, stress and worst-case scenario that had been living inside
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Stoke-on-Trent: Free liver tests at events funded by late doctor
Residents in Stoke-on-Trent are being invited to take part in free liver testing at two local roadshows funded by a doctor who died from Alison Brind, 63, who specialised in liver disease, worked with patients in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire for more than 25 consultant gastroenterologist, who worked at University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM), was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2022 and died in April last identifying people at risk of liver disease at roadshows in 2023, Dr Brind, who raised more than £10,000 for the UHNM charity, decided to fund the scheme for another five years, organisers said previously. Two Love Your Liver roadshows are being held at Stoke City's Bet365 Stadium on Tuesday and at Port Vale Football Club on Wednesday between 10:00 and 16:00 BST. Vanessa Carr, liver clinical nurse specialist, said visitors would be offered a free liver health scan and could also speak to a dedicated liver health team for advice and support."One in 10 adults in Stoke-on-Trent may have liver disease but be completely unaware because there are usually no symptoms in the early stages," she said."But the earlier the disease is detected, the better chance there is to reduce and then reverse any damage."Ms Carr said liver disease remained one of the leading causes of premature death in the area."None of this would have been possible without Dr Alison Brind who has been an absolute inspiration to us over the past 25 years and we continue to work in her memory," she said. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
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Middlesbrough hospital consultants charged 108% more for parking
Consultants and some doctors at a hospital have seen staff parking charges increase by more than 100%, a union rises accompanied the introduction of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.A University Hospitals Tees (UHT) spokesperson confirmed £1.8m would be invested in car park improvements over the coming British Medical Association (BMA) has described the new charges as "shocking and unacceptable". Some members of staff on lower salaries would see a decrease in charges but consultants would pay a tariff for a dedicated car park for them, said the BMA has said charges for consultants at the hospital have gone up by 108%, with some doctors on specific shift patterns seeing increases in excess of 125%.The price changes will bring the South Tees hospitals in line with the policy of the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust, which has had varied prices for staff over the last 10 years. 'Lack of understanding' Dr Andy Thornley, representing the BMA, said: "Charging staff who are just trying to come to work to care for patients at the hospital to make financial gains for a struggling trust is wrong. "Worse still is the unfair charges that patients and their visitors are being forced to pay, with no choice in order to access the hospital."This is just the latest in what can only be described as chaotic implementation of new parking measures at the hospital, impacting not only consultants but also resident doctors who are still unsure what the new charges will mean for them."We want assurances that staff who are members of the parking scheme will not be fined additional charges for simply coming to work to care for patients."A UNISON spokesperson reinforced this message, stating that imposing higher parking charges on NHS staff and patients "shows a shocking lack of understanding" of the financial struggle many are trust has said it is the first increase in two years and that any surplus funds will be diverted into patient care.A spokesperson said: "We understand the price rise is not welcome news, but we have kept the increase as low as possible."We would like to reassure all our patients and visitors that the income from car parking is used to maintain our car parks including the costs of repairs and maintenance, lighting, gritting and security, all of which helps us to retain our 'Park Mark' Safer Parking Scheme accreditation."This coming year will see us invest £1.8m in improvements to our car parking." Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
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Stitch the skunk bringing joy to Coventry children's hospice
You may have heard of a therapy cat or therapy dog, but have you heard of a therapy skunk?Dale Preece-Kelly, from Kidderminster, runs Critterish Allsorts, offering animal therapy to places like hospices, prisons, and care homes, where he hopes to "unleash the healing power of animals".He has about 70 animals that help provide this therapy, one of whom is Stitch, an 11-month-old striped has become a popular visitor at Zoe's Place Baby Hospice in Coventry, where Mr Preece-Kelly has offered his animal therapy for free for over a decade. He said the children benefitted from meeting animals like Rico the milk snake, Hercules the bearded dragon, Wubble the frog, Oreo the "skinny pig" - a hairless guinea pig - and Ekko the dog. Mr Preece-Kelly had previously worked factory jobs and as a chauffeur."I've always loved animals, I've had them since I was 10... I always had pets and it kind of just blossomed," the 57-year-old said."I've got around 70 animals at home, and after being rescued, they help to rescue others." Mr Preece-Kelly said the animals often calmed children down, with the larger snakes acting "like a weighted blanket"."I can come in and everyone's screaming, I can leave when everyone's sleeping, which is a lovely way to work," he therapy can also help children with specific skills, according to Mr Preece-Kelly. He said stroking or holding animals could help with mobility. Tammy Neale, from Nuneaton, has worked at Zoe's Place as a children's nurse for two said: "It's absolutely amazing. It helps a lot with anxiety and stress, but it also just helps them relax so if they are in pain or if they've got any dystonic episodes going on, sometimes it just helps them unwind a little bit."So the smiles and the happy faces that you get when Dale comes in with the animals is absolutely amazing, it's always a fun day to work." Lauren and Ashley's two-year-old daughter Frankie has myotonic dystrophy - a genetic condition that causes progressive muscle weakness and family, from Rugby, have been coming to Zoe's Place for about a year, visiting approximately four times a month, some of which are overnight stays."She loves the animal therapy, she gets excited when she comes here and sees the animals," Lauren said. "She's a lot braver than I am." Frankie requires 24-hour care and the family have assisted living, with her father looking after her full-time. Her parents say the services at Zoe's Place mean they have been able to have "a little bit of a break", while also helping Frankie's social skills."I can't thank them enough for what they do for us a family and what they do for Frankie," Lauren said."Honestly I come here and I don't have any concerns about her and they're so good with her. It's just amazing, it's really helped us out a lot." Zoe's Place is a hospice for babies and young children with complex medical needs, offering both respite and palliative care."Without it, these parents wouldn't get rest," Ms Neale said."They live a 24-hour daily routine of making sure their medical needs are met - that's a big ask for parents. "So to be able to say here's 24 hours, go and have a meal on your own without having to worry about medication and suction machines, that has such a big impact on their lives." Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
