Overview
Dr John Firth's debut novel, Kind & Sensible, follows Jonathan Barber, an old-school doctor, who struggles with the changes within modern care. He faces adversity when his decision to provide comfort to a terminally ill patient sparks a court case and disciplinary action.
The narrative delves into the erosion of trust between patients and doctors, advocating for candid dialogue to set reasonable expectations about what medicine can and can’t do in general, and improve end-of-life care in particular
Join us as John discusses the themes of his novel and the challenges doctors face in healthcare today with Professor Dave Thomas.
»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ the Author
Dr John Firth is a consultant physician and nephrologist at Cambridge University Hospitals, where he is Deputy Medical Director and Responsible Officer. His interests are in education, training, and professional governance.
John was an undergraduate in Cambridge before moving to the Oxford Clinical School. After qualifying he worked in clinical posts in London before returning to Oxford where he undertook a Doctorate of Medicine in renal physiology, further clinical training, and post-doctoral research in molecular biology working in Prof Sir Peter Ratcliffe's laboratory in the early years of his exploration of the cellular oxygen sensing mechanism.
He was appointed consultant physician in Oxford in 1993, moving to Cambridge in 1996 where he has undertaken a variety of roles including being Clinical Director of renal services and associate dean of the Clinical School. He is now Cambridge University Hospital's Responsible Officer (lead for professional governance and liaison with the General Medical Council) and one of its Deputy Medical Directors. He often teaches clinical students and junior doctors and is Director of Clinical Studies in the College. His teaching was recognised by the University by the award of a Pilkington Prize in 2010.
At a national level, John was for many years Chair of the UK General Internal Medicine Specialist Advisory Committee, which is responsible for organisation and oversight of training in Internal Medicine.
Details
This event is open to all and free to attend - .
Access
This event will take place in the Combination Room on the first floor of our main building. It has step-free access with a lift and there is an accessible toilet located on the first floor of the building.
