Chris Hebbes

@BletchleyBark 😱

@chebbes No photo ID, so denied 😠

Elections is ‘zorsting Wake us up for the next one #DogsAtPollingStations #DogsAfterPollingStations

Yay! It’s #DogsAtPollingStations day!

Celebrating annual leave (and apparently 20 years in the nhs this year) by bagging some more trigs

@TJCoats @RCEMevents Suspect this is person specific and there would need to be room for individual adjustment (disability discrimination act). Need to consider the same for apps as more becomes mobile. Phones are terrible for readability blue light and seem to be pushed as a cheap alternative

Reducing computer screen brightness in ED to 40% did not affect ability to interpret scans or read EPR. 2000 kg CO2 equivalent saved per year, saving about £2000 a year. Scalable and would be easy to implement in the NHS. @RCEMevents RCEM Conference 2026

@Neuro_Matt Go out with a bang. Enjoy and good luck! It get better from here

Getting ready to go in for my last EVER resident night shift 😀 Let’s make it a good one!

It’s Ed Shear-ram! (Escaping the madness for a day)

@cpeedell @pjcboro @UKLabour This isn’t about deals. Either additional training places are required (they absolutely are), or they aren’t. It’s not about deals, it’s about need and ensuring that we have enough doctors to deliver healthcare using properly qualified staff - not doctor alternatives.

@pjcboro @UKLabour They did previously accept a deal on the basis that although their aim of pay restoration still hadn’t been achieved, the deal would be accepted as long as subsequent pay rises were not below inflation (ie pay erosion continuing). Government then reneged on that deal.

Cutting 1,000 #NHS training places for doctors is a serious own goal by @UKLabour. That is 1000 less future consultants and GPs per year, every year, from now on. They have now set themselves up for easy criticism in future as waiting lists go up. NHS already has too few doctors

@NickJ_UK @AnnabelDenham1 But we either need training places or we don’t. It shouldn’t be a bargaining chip. Bad behaviour on both sides, but two wrongs don’t make a right.

@NickJ_UK @AnnabelDenham1 Will watch with interest and will step in to support safety, but bma are not reading the room. Easter, a war, many colleagues off and unable to cover. A bad time for the country economically with a ridiculous ask.

This is absurd. If we need 4,000 training places we should have them. If we don’t, the Prime Minister shouldn’t be offering them as a bribe paid for by the taxpayer.

@mancunianmedic @iceman_ex I do like the scrimshankers and occasional esoteric language. Part of me would love to see if that got through an nhs job advert these days!

@mancunianmedic @iceman_ex Different times. Agree wholeheartedly with the work ethic and the ethos that you get out what you put in to a placement. Less so with the male pronouns scattered through - admittedly fewer female surgeons back then but that’s not exactly an inclusive job description.

@ShaunLintern Unsure how taking money away from areas where problems are perceived will allow them to improve.

@ShaunLintern Terrible idea. We aren’t selling goods in a supermarket. Sometimes we have to do the right thing, which sometimes causes conflict. It’s not about a popularity contest or competing for patients’ affections. Slippery slope to privatisation.

Streeting says he will soon roll out patient power payments, where patients will decide if the provider should get the full cost of their care based on the quality of care. Starting with women he says this will "kick medical misogyny where it it hurts."

Bloomin’ tired. And realised I’d intended to book annual leave in my diary and never actually booked it. Oops, but explains why an evening with a book is needed!

Always a pleasure to teach! Thanks to the rest of the faculty and the candidates for making it fun! (Even if we do look like we are staring at a blank flip chart)

@JacquiDeevoy1 Just wondering what your qualifications are to mislead and misinform. Bacterial meningitis is contagious. To inform otherwise is harmful.

Meningitis is NOT contagious, so what’s with all the nonsense? As my friend Kat Watkins says on FB today: “Meningitis is an infection in the brain caused by toxins passing the blood brain barrier. You cannot 'catch' it, it's not contagious 🙄🙄 So all this closing of schools is just theatre. It's to scare you into making sure you jab yourselves and your kids up. How many of those who have presented with meningitis, had the covid vax? Since its a side effect? As well as a side effect of many other jabs 🤷🤷”

@ross_prager Mirroring. I’m fairly sure I watched a colleague at some point in the past agree that “it’s shit and I’m sorry”. Because sometimes life is shit and there aren’t other words that will do. (But be careful of this one)

@ross_prager They will have a rapport and will be able to help give courage for questions families don’t want to ask of “the doctor”

Delivering bad news as an ICU doctor is one of the harder parts of the job. Here are some lessons I've learned along the way👇 1. Always sit down 2. Don't just jump into it. Spend the first couple of minutes with introductions to yourself, your team (if present), but more importantly who all is in the room (patient, family etc.) 3. If you will be needing consent for something (procedure, palliation etc.) as part of the discussion, ensure you know who the decision maker(s) are. 4. Preface the bad news "I have to share something that might be hard to hear" 5. Clearly in <30 seconds deliver the bad news then STOP TALKING. The biggest mistake I see is people give the news and keep going. It takes time to process what may be the worst news they've ever received. Silence is the solution here. They will talk or ask questions when they are ready... it could be 10 seconds, 1 minute, or 10minutes. Give them the time they need before you proceed. 6. Ask if they have any questions about what you have delivered. 7. Be prepared to answer 'what comes next' .. 8. Ask about spirtual / religious beliefs when appropriate and offer support if that is available. 9. Let them know you or someone from your team will be available to answer questions that might come to mind... often in the moment, questions slip people's mind but come to them minutes after you leave. Make sure they know how they can have them clarified. Just some thoughts here... any others? Bonus: Don't construe family members becoming angry as them being angry at you or the team. Anger when faced with this news is common, normalize it and realize it likely isn't directed at you!