November 15th - Advanced Motoring

The gang I run of retired and semi-retired GPs met yesterday and we had an informal talk from Gerry and Richard from the Institute of advanced drivers based in Wakefield. It really grabbed all of our attention and their style of teaching was great. Gerry goes to the same Italian class as us and is a retired policeman. Richard is the chairman of the IAM. I am definitely going to go on the January course and am driving differently today because of what they told us. It was the best session the group had experienced since we started meeting 2 years ago. They brought along Highway Codes from the year each passed their test as well as one from 1954 that cost 1d. I think doing the course will help me driving abroad.
http://www.wakefieldiam.org.uk/
I cant write here everything we were told but I was interested in how one tells one is in a 30, 40 or 50 mph limit. I suppose I was particularly interested because I had obtained 3 points on my licence for driving at 37 mph after I had set the speed limiter to 40 in my car. I wrongly assumed it was a 40 limit when in fact it was a 30. Why was I setting my limiter? Because I had been given another 3 points one year before that for driving at 34 on a dual carriageway going out of Wakefield. 40 and 50 etc MPH limited areas have reminders on lampposts etc (unless stolen). There are no reminders in a 30 mph limited area.

November 6th 2007 - New Hall Prison

Was asked to sit in at a meeting to decide on the policy for dealing with segregated prisoners. I have never been in a prison before. This is for 400 young offenders. The getting to the meeting room was an experience with all the locked gates and doors to get through. I had to have photo ID and leave my mobile phone in the car. The meeting was with the health care team and prison officers. Most of the inmates have drug misuse problems. There is a mental health nurse as well as experienced drug misuse workers. There are general nurses as well as doctors. There is a dentist with dental nurses. The meeting was chaired/run by two colleagues of mine from the PCT and they are most impressive. I was amazed by the expertise in that room and what a fantastic job they are all doing. Why was I there? To look at the GP/team dynamics and the development of a logical training plan for the GPs. I was also there to support my PCT colleagues. I will write again about this. The prison is situated in a lovely area of countryside and there was not a cloud in the autumn sky. I met a prison officer who had been my patient 9 years ago.

November 4th 2007 - Angel Lodge

What a fascinating part time job I have. On Thursday last I was shown round the reception centre for asylum seekers in Wakefield. It is called Angel Lodge. Well over 100 adults and children are accommodated there. They are resident there for up to three weeks and a doctor does a session there each day. Health screening is the main thing. They are free to come and go and some abscond. I sat in the foyer for 10 minutes waiting to meet Fiona (who manages the medical side). What a mix of languages and people from all classes and walks of life. There was a case of diarrhoea last week that caused a great panick. If that spread into the town there could have been a riot. The health workers there have to use telephone interpreters. The screening at airports etc. is not that brilliant, I was told. A man in a wheelchair was just waved through, for example.
This week I am visiting New Hall prison to look at the medical set up thee. I have never been in a prison, so another interesting venture for me.