Ward 87 Awards.

The Award Goes to Dr Wayne

Jobbing Doctor has been guzzling too much turkey this Christmas.

He lists his rickbats and soubriquets for 2008. I had to go and look up those words in the dictionary because I am suffering from Turkey Catatonia. It happens.

Apparently, he has batted his lovely eye lashes in my direction and named me campaigner of the year. I am humbled by this. JD is actually a very senior member of the medical profession and I am honoured. Actually, our webmaster just told me about it and I got all nervous and weak at the legs. This often happens when JD compliments me :). I believe its a sort of blogging hormonal nervous twitch.

I have never think of myself as a campaigner - but I do think of myself as a writer and one who challenges ideas much like artists push forward frontiers and see the world in 3D. I have always liked challenging the status quo and presenting various different ideas. I think its good for people to read different aspects of the same story. I consider what I write a different kind of artform - one with a medical influence.

As I am never one for compliments and awards and neither do I know how to react to them, I am about to pass this one onto Witchdoctor and a few others. So here are my Ward 87 Awards.

As everyone knows, WD is one of my favourite bloggers. Her day and night coverage of the Dr Scot Jnr case which kept us all going and updated far surpassed anything done by us. WD has worked the hardest for Dr Scot Jnr and deserves some short bread from him. As Dr Scot Jnr has beamed himself up to Inverness, we haven't heard a peep out of him. For a man who has such artistry with swear words, I am amazed that he remains tight lippped. There is of course a time to remain silent and a time to fight on. Many need Dr Scot Jnr. I don't of course but other junior doctors do. If he is reading this, he should stop concealing himself under his tartan quilt and start fighting with Remedy UK.

The most important unsung hero of them all is someone called Dr Wayne. Dr Wayne is intelligent, young, dynamic and believes in so many things. He has so much potential and reminds me that those who are never jaded can actually change the world. Dr Wayne believes he can change the world and often does.

Dr Wayne was responsible for a large number of excellent graphics during the Dr Scot Jnr saga. Dr Wayne doesn't sleep and he works extremely hard on behalf of his colleagues. The world seems to have forgotten Dr Wayne but I haven't because I know how hard he worked for Dr Scot Jnr. Put it this way, had it not been for Dr Wayne, we would never have covered it.

Dr Wayne keeps all the bloggers going when we wilt in the rough winds. I call him The Catalyst. Unknown to the public, this is the junior doctor who is the bravest one of them all. He once wrote to me and stated "I believe passionately in justice". I laughed outloud of course but went away and thought about that sentence in great depth. He reminds me, of me about 10 years ago - when even I believed passionately in justice until I realised that it didn't actually exist.

Perhaps there are various images of justice - but in all these years I realised one thing - man makes his own justice.

The third person is Dr Richard Marks one of the leaders of Remedy UK. Apart from being supercute [ and I have to say that because I have eyes], Richard and his team shows the medical profession that there is a different way, a right way, a brave way and continues to fight for a better future. Marks and his colleagues has made medical history by the creation of Remedy UK. When I was a junior doctor, nothing like this was even possible. Richard Marks is a man of vision, intelligence and talent. Remedy UK has a huge amount of potential if doctors support it. By this I mean, seniors as well as junior doctors. There should be a change in the medical profession. I think Remedy UK shows most doctors the way to a brighter future. This is a new year and while no one can change the past, each one of us can change the future. To make your own justice, I think doctors should stop subscribing to the BMA and start subscribing to Remedy UK.

The fourth person is Dr Liz Miller. She achieved an award from MIND this year. She also appeared in the Guardian. Apart from standing next to a hunky man at the awards ceremony, she has also spent this Christmas with a hunky surgeon. Yes yes, we are all jealous. Jesting aside, Miller does more for sick doctors and doctors in trouble than anyone I know. Her work is done silently and tirelessly. She doesn't crow about it or advertise it - she just gets on with her job. She has probably saved many doctors from the brink of despair and death. Miller is like a large bird and does what I could never do - takes care of everyone as if they were a member of her own family. If anyone works selflessly,tirelessly and wholeheartedly - its Dr Liz Miller.

The fifth person is my friend Dr India. Dr India has braved the worst circumstances to befall any doctor. He has faced the GMC and survived it. I am extremely proud of him for fighting his case effectively to obtain the best possible result. This is a New Year and all journeys teach us just that little bit more about dealing with the future.

The sixth person is our hardest working writer - Mr Angus Dei. Angus has fought off depression and bereavement and created some amazing narratives for us. We all admire him and know how hard the journey has been. He has achieved the most this year and teaches us all about survival.

The seventh person is Louise who we haven't seen a great deal of on NHS -Behind the Headlines but she has done amazingly well, taken up a course after many years, overcome her trauma and pushed forward frontiers. Louise knows that no one can change the past but she has the power to change the future.

As for Jobbing Doctor - he gets a huge hug and cyberkiss from me :).