Here we are at the end of August. Wow where did that go? In a haze of covid and infections and and and. 

The nightmare of lying on the pavement outside A and E on the Euston Road has faded. Once I was in hospital I was so well looked after nothing was late or wrong or weird. Well except for the strange food of course. 

I ticked cheese salad and got a baked potato with cheese. I ticked fruit salad and got an apple. Oh and the toast. Like rubber. The plastic knife could not even cut it. 

Jerome texted me on my second day. To tell me which consultant I was assigned to. 

Who had in fact been that morning and whilst masked and scrubs and aprons covered most of him I did think he was vaguely familiar. He was kind. Chatted checked asked what I needed asked what I thought would be good to try. Inclusive. Empathetic and simply brilliant. He gave the impression he could stay all day and no rush to leave. Accompanied by a large team of junior doctors who scribbled down his every word. 

He was….none other than….Prof Sir Chris Whitty…CMO …mastermind of the UK covid response. Incredible. Lovely. Wonderful. 

Here is something he fixed for me: 

Microbiology had recommended a 7 to 10 day stay in hospital. 

That meant I missed a 50th ( so young) birthday weekend in Cornwall..

Once Whitty , as the nurses call him, found out about Cornwall he suggested that as I was in hospital so often a trip to the sea would be beneficial . He decided taxi to Paddington. 2 minutes. Train to Exeter . 2 hours. Would be far better than car. 6 hours from home. Hotel better than house. No hoovering for me! He worked out that if I was given an infusion at 6 am I could be there in time for lunch. 

He reckoned microbiology could suggest an oral antibiotic as cover but that if I was not ok I could return in 2 hours and 2 minutes. 

Soooo…to my total surprise. Not only but also infusion at 6.00 am was done. Pharmacy was done. Discharge was done. Taxi was fixed. And I made it to the last 48 hours of the birthday. I swam in the sea too. 

Goodness only knows what all the junior doctors scribbled in their notes about all that!

The ward team simply said: If Whitty asks he gets. He’s our hero. We love him.

I have a feeling he only works sometimes at the hospital and does not get paid for that either. Hero.