Human Risk podcast: Dr Gordon Caldwell on medical bureaucracy (6 February 2023)

Summary

In this episode of The Human Risk podcast, host Christian Hunt speaks to Dr Gordon Caldwell, a retired NHS Consultant and Clinical Lead about the impact of medical bureaucracy. In 2019, Gordon had a photograph taken of himself lying next to a long line of forms, to highlight the amount of paperwork healthcare professionals need to fill in. Gordon is a campaigner against bureaucracy, and he wanted to make the point that time spent filling in forms is time spent not looking after patients.

In the podcast, Christian and Gordon discuss:

• the genesis of the photograph and why Gordon felt motivated to take it
• the reasons why there is so much bureaucracy within the NHS
• the impact this has on patient care
• what Gordon sees as ways to improve it.

See also:

• The Spectator: The NHS is drowning in paperwork
• Pictured: Doctor shows army of ‘pointless’ forms burying NHS hospitals