Terence English

It has been most interesting to read the blogs of some of those one knew so many years ago. Rather than reflect on my time at Guy’s and subsequent career, I will give a short account of two of my current interests. (There is a link to Terence's website on the right. Ed)

The first is in my capacity as Patron of the Primary Trauma Care (PTC) Foundation. I became involved in this in 2003 when my friend John Beavis told me he wanted to bring better trauma care to the Tribal Areas of the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan.I knew the Professor of Surgery in Peshawar, Mohammed Kabir, and through his good offices and connections we were able the next year to take a group of 6 instructors from the UK to teach a 2 day training course in PTC followed by a course for local instructors. The participants of the first course were carefully chosen by Kabir with representatives from the four medical schools in Peshawar, so that before we left we were able to join them in conducting courses in their own medical schools.
The PTC course is based on ATLS principles but adapted for developing countries and teaches doctors and paramedics a system for the immediate care of seriously injured patients. It has been a great success in Pakistan and other developing countries and our latest work has been in Gaza. I have made 3 visits there in the last two years and the courses are now being delivered with great enthusiasm by the instructors we trained. We have made good friends amongst them and have great sympathy for the hardships they are having to endure as a result of the continuing blockade by Israel.

The second interest has been as a Patron of Dignity in Dying and a member of the Steering Group of Healthcare Professionals for Assisted Dying – HPAD.
Our objective is to change the law so that it becomes legal for terminally ill, mentally competent adults to be given the option of choosing the time and circumstance of their death. Unlike Euthanasia, where the physician administers the lethal drug, Assisted Dying only requires that the patient be provided with a prescription which may or may not be used at a later date by self-administration. It also needs to be distinguished from Assisted Suicide as practised in Switzerland, where the patient may be seriously disabled but not terminally ill. Surveys confirm that the public is very much in favour of a change in the law to legalise assisted dying and that the main opposition comes from religious groups and sections of the medical profession, particularly those in palliative care. HPAD is trying to change this culture and I encourage doctors who support our view to join the campaign by consulting the HPAD website.