The Right Thing?: The Life, Travels and some Revelations of an English Doctor

Richard Colman is an independently-minded man and doctor, whose unconventional life and medical career has seen him challenge the medical establishment both from without, as a GP, and from within, as a member of the General Medical Council, motivated by his understanding of the doctor's duty to do 'the right thing' which is not on occasions primarily to please. In this autobiography, Dr Colman covers his early life, his travels and medical training. He documents his family life and search for a work/life balance whilst renovating a rundown National Trust farm house in the North Yorkshire Moors. He notes the beginnings of the holistic movement and consumerism in healthcare in the 1980s. He challenged the restraint on advertising by doctors seen as against the public interest. As a member of the GMC he sees the influence of the medico-political climate of the time, exposes the reality behind what became known as the ‘Bristol Scandal’. He is critical of the decision to introduce ‘revalidation’ for all doctors. He considers the consumer model is not appropriate for healthcare and is critical of recent developments which have devastated medical morale leading to a haemorrhaging of medical experience through early retirement and emigration.