So, Adam Kay’s best-selling book about his experiences working in the NHS was this month’s Book Club pick. I’d read it before, and I wondered how much it would stand up to a second read, because it had such a huge impact first time around. I’m not going to say I needn’t have worried, because it was different reading it knowing what was coming. That wasn’t a bad thing, necessarily, but it did remove the visceral impact of the moment when he finally reaches the end of his tether. What a loss to the medical profession.

One of our number is a consultant paediatrician, and the group spent quite a lot of time quizzing her on whether the stories he told were true to life. Having myself worked with many healthcare professionals over the years, it didn’t come as a surprise to me when she confirmed them – oh, not specifics, but the generalities of working in the health service. As before, I came away from reading this book believing even more strongly that we must support people working on the front line – our NHS is a precious thing and worth protecting. The disconnect between asking people working in health to act as though they have a vocation (thereby continually going above and beyond), and then treating them as units of time delivering units of service, as opposed to human beings, is vividly brought to life in this book.

Also, easy to read, well written, made me chuckle, but also made me stop and think. It’s no wonder it not only became a best-seller but has stayed a best-seller.