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Mr Paul Thiruchelvam 2017-06-26 Person 5 5 0

Gone are the days of white-coated pomposity among senior medics, if Paul and his team are anything to go by. For a living, I train people to have difficult conversations in the workplace more easily, so I'm picky about these things; Paul got everything right from the word go. At our first meeting, confirming that my biopsy was indeed cancerous - and throughout the op day and followup appointment - he hit exactly the right balance between being human and being professional. He puts medical terminology into laywoman's language without a hint of impatience or condescension. He is a great listener (rare, especially among busy people). He inspires confidence, yet is straightforward about any chances of negative consequences from any part of the process. Following the emotional freefall I had experienced while awaiting news of the first biopsy, this kind of simple clarity about best and worst probabilities was an absolute lifeline. One small but important thing that put our initial conversation straight onto the right track was that he introduced himself to me by his first name. I am very comfortable with first-name terms in most contexts, but get privately irritated by medics who assume they can address me by my first name, and then tell me they are 'Dr So-and-So'. (This did happen with one or two of the many I met along the way as part of the wider process; it might be an idea explicitly to discourage this in the hospital at large - or at least for doctors to ask the patient how they prefer to be addressed and stick to the same protocol themselves.) If I may make one other tiny observation: at our second meeting, I was expecting Paul to give me an 'examination'. What I hadn't quite expected was that this meant being thoroughly 'marked up' with a felt tip pen! This didn't worry me in the least - I was just a bit surprised when he began drawing on me! - but others might appreciate a tad more explication by way of forewarning (for one thing, don't wear your best bra/top as it tends to rub off on the inside afterwards and is hard to get clean!) On the other hand, my guess is that if you're the type to find that idea worrying, you would receive sensitive reassurance from Paul and the nurse (who stays present throughout). I needed a lumpectomy with a lymph node biopsy to be taken during the surgery, and opted to have the other breast adjusted at the same time to even up my shape (by Paul's colleague, Daniel Leff). I didn't meet Daniel pre-surgery, so was particularly impressed and grateful that Paul made a point of bringing him to meet me in the evening following my op, more than 12 hours after the beginning of the working day for them, and that Paul was back in to check on me the following morning. So I'm in awe of his stamina, as well as his skills - ditto Daniel's - which I believe stems from a true passion for their work and compassion for those upon whom they practise it. Although I have radiotherapy to come, my lumpectomy has been a complete success, and I can only reiterate here what I told Paul face to face - I can't thank him and his team enough. If you're about to go through something similar, you couldn't be in safer hands.