NEVER A DULL MOMENT

Well it's been another busy week so far...... and it's only Wednesday.

The week started with a bang when the big secondary school nearest to the surgery was closed down for a week due to confirmed cases of swine flu. This led to us activating our flu plan in the practice.

Now luckily for me, I no longer work there on a Monday - it's one of my coaching days, but I walked in on Tuesday morning to find the signs all in place, directing the flu and non-flu patients to different entrances. Inside things were different too, with the creation of sealed off areas for the examination of those who might be infected. It brought home to me one of the difficulties of working part-time..... sometimes you feel as if you are the last to find out about things.

Don't get me wrong, part-time working, especially mine where I spend the non-practice time doing the coaching that I am so passionate about, has plenty of benefits. Where was I today, when the sun was shining? Lunching at a local golf club, networking with a group of 20 other women - excellent. You meet some great people there, people with real stories to tell. I guess that's one of the things I love most about my two jobs - I get the chance to talk to so many different people and really find out what makes them tick.

A woman at the group was the founder of a charity called The Cookery School for Kids. They have been nominated for a National Lottery Good Causes Award. Their mission is to teach the underprivileged and disadvantaged kids of West London how to cook healthy food. They've done some fantastic work so far. You can read more about them and vote for them in the awards hereIt's completely free, there's no form filling and it takes about five seconds.

As a GP I see so many problems that relate to poor diet and unhealthy lifestyle. As a coach I work with lots of clients who want to kick their bad habits. Anything that can be done to encourage kids to make a better start in life, especially kids like these, many of whom are in care or have special needs, has got to be fantastically worthwhile. Take a few seconds to check this out. You'll be glad you did.