Tag Archives: General Practice

…  Not Getting Picked for Ireland: or “It’s Not Easy Being Green.”

The rugby Six Nations is back! But yet again I haven’t been picked for Ireland.  In fact, the last time Dr Brown pulled on a famous green jersey was the last time Dr Brown went to cubs.  Which is why I’m beginning to think my chance has passed. The school I went to was aContinue reading “…  Not Getting Picked for Ireland: or “It’s Not Easy Being Green.””

… the Royal College of GPs (and how not to get out of meetings on time)

For over a decade, I’ve been on the board of the North West faculty of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). It was even my turn to be chair a few years ago, and I’m genuinely proud to have been elected a fellowship. These faculties round the country discuss issues affecting general practice andContinue reading “… the Royal College of GPs (and how not to get out of meetings on time)”

… Washing My Dirty Laundry in Public.

I quite like laundry.  Laundry is the least worst of all the household tasks. Hoovering / pretending to be the Ghostbusters definitely has its place. But today the sky looks like the opening credits to the Simpsons and that makes it a day for laundry. But, not so fast! For the true expert, laundry doesn’tContinue reading “… Washing My Dirty Laundry in Public.”

… Losing Weight

“Can I help you at all, sir?” “No thanks.  Just browsing.” “But Sir, this is a Greggs.” Much as I’m ashamed to admit it, the time has come for me to lose some weight. Mrs Dr Brown pointed this out a little while ago. “That’s a bit harsh.” I countered. “I weigh the same asContinue reading “… Losing Weight”

… Beekeeping for the Under-Sevens.

I keep bees. That’s probably all the back story you need for this. I keep bees, and I have children. I have 60,000 bees and two children.  In that order. The opposite way round would represent a failure of both contraception and toast : topping ratio planning. People who know me wonder if I shouldContinue reading “… Beekeeping for the Under-Sevens.”

… Buying a Phone: A tragic story of unfulfilled potential.

Summer 2006… “So, how many texts do you send in a typical month?” I didn’t want to sound like a technophobe, so I thought I’d better exaggerate a bit. So I doubled it. “About twelve?” I suggested. Do you know how many extra texts I ended up paying for as part of my deal thatContinue reading “… Buying a Phone: A tragic story of unfulfilled potential.”

… Sump Sprockets, Sloop Valves and the MOT.

My car is due its MOT in January. And for the uninitiated, with the technical terminology, unfamiliar equipment and the code of secrecy, I imagine it can feel a lot like a trip to the doctors. But a few weeks before the MOT I had noticed a worrying symptom.  The chest pain of the internalContinue reading “… Sump Sprockets, Sloop Valves and the MOT.”

… New Year’s Resolutions

Let’s face it. Nobody really likes New Year’s Eve. Well some people might: let’s say from mid-teens to mid-twenties. A period of my life not much longer than (and disappointingly overlapping with) that for which I had acne. And just like pustular acne, New Year’s Eve spent the better part of a decade popping upContinue reading “… New Year’s Resolutions”

… Bill, Remembrance and Barcelona Brothels

Bill up the road died last month. He was 91. I’d always liked Bill, not least because he used to swear at me in front of my mother. “Morning, Mr. Taylor” I’d shout out on the way to school. “Now there’s a cheeky young bastard!” he’d reply, not looking round. Bill had been in theContinue reading “… Bill, Remembrance and Barcelona Brothels”

… Birthday Presents

Let me first say that Mrs. Brown is magnificent.  I am very lucky.  Dolphins have swimming with her on their bucket list. It is no surprise to the casual observer that she agreed to marry me prior to her laser eye surgery.  And when we announced our engagement, my brother said he was “not soContinue reading “… Birthday Presents”

… My Right Foot and other tales of horror

DO NOT SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM. YOU WILL REGRET IT. Well, Doctor.  You know how if you’ve watched a Rocky film or a Bond movie, you might get carried away and shadow-box a bit, or maybe burst through a couple of doors checking for enemy agents? Go on. Well, l I’d been watching La LaContinue reading “… My Right Foot and other tales of horror”

… Passwords (or “Chris Tarrant and the curse of NHS I.T.”)

This month I have mainly been getting annoyed by computer passwords. It’s like “Who Want’s to Be a Millionaire?” but with more questions and less prize money.

Me: Password64
Chris: Final answer?
Me: Final answer, Chris.
Chris: OK. You said Password64.
Me: I know.
Chris: Confident?
Me: Hurry up Chris
Chris: You’re absolutely…. wrong!
No way! Piss off, Chris! This was definitely right yesterday.
Or have I changed it?

… My Olympic Diary: Week 2

You have one new message… Message received today at four twenty six am…  Hi Rick.  It’s Clare.  Clare Balding?  I’m in Tokyo.  We’re really stuck for things to say out here.  Me and Gabby were wondering if you couldn’t knock us up another week of your Olympic Diary?  Call me.  Thanks.

… A Taste of His Own Medicine

Tuesday, 07:10 BBC Radio 5 Live breakfast interview with Nicky Campbell. CAMPBELL:         While sources suggest the NHS is considering making vaccination mandatory for front line staff, BBC figures have shown up to 20% of healthcare staff in London remain unvaccinated against Covid-19.  We ask GP Dr Rick Brown why this is.  Dr Brown:  whyContinue reading “… A Taste of His Own Medicine”

… Licences to Kill

This time of year, GP speciality training applications are opened to junior doctors seeking a career in GP.  On an entirely unconnected note, my sister-in-law works for a recruitment consultant who is trying to recruit Director General Q for MI6, the UK Foreign Intelligence service, promoting the UK’s overseas interest through “human intelligence” and deploying “clandestine operational technology”.  Some years ago these two recruitmentContinue reading “… Licences to Kill”

…Cyber Crime (or the noble art of Bullshit Detection)

After 20 years as a GP I have decided to develop a lucrative side-hustle as an international criminal mastermind. Join me as Dr Brown is Getting Better at… cyber crime (or the noble art of bullshit detection)

… The New NHS (National Hairdressing Service)

After seeing “unprecedented” and “once in a generation” queues round the block outside barbers’ shops across Britain today, I have accepted the call from the nation to lead in the development of a new NHS: the National Hairdressing Service. Unfortunately, to save on time, originality and effort on my part I am using exactly theContinue reading “… The New NHS (National Hairdressing Service)”

… Losing at Games

Is there a technique to rock, paper, scissors? Serious question. If there is a formula please feel free to leave it in the comments section below. It’s just that my daughter has started to beat me.  More than that in fact. I’m getting whooped.  Every…Single…Time. We recently played for about twenty minutes sitting on aContinue reading “… Losing at Games”

…Online Shopping

We’ve all been doing it since Covid-19 kicked in.

It’s a bit of a guilty pleasure.

Traffic on the biggest sites has gone up 300% over lockdown.

I’ve got to the point where I’m having to delete my internet search history several times a week, so Mrs. Brown doesn’t see what I’ve been up to.

Yes, that’s the one.

My name’s Rick and I’ve been buying rubbish online.

…Buying Flowers

This week I have been buying flowers.  Disappointingly, a lot of you will automatically suspect I am in trouble rather than being incurably romantic.  Don’t worry, I’m not.  In this instance it is neither.  I required a big thank-you present for a teacher and so I was sent to the florist.  And as is becomingContinue reading “…Buying Flowers”

…Getting Older

The alarm goes off. “You get up first.” Purrs Mrs. Brown seductively. “No you go first – I’m doing school drop off today.” I whisper. “COO-EEE! I’M HERE! I’LL GET UP FIRST!” Oh, shut up, bladder! And that’s the problem. I am now a gentleman of a certain age and if I ever fancy aContinue reading “…Getting Older”

…Interviews

For the first time in ages, I’ve been going for interviews. But times have changed since the last time when I circled jobs in the wanted ads in the British Medical Journal or GP Magazine, sent off a CV then got called for interviews (or not). The new all-virtual interviews are a totally different experience,Continue reading “…Interviews”