CASE FILE: Health & Wellness

Subject: Dr. Harold Frederick Shipman Known for: Beloved family GP, “Doctor Death” Estimated victims: 218 confirmed, possibly 250+ Operational period: 1975–1998

Harold Shipman was, by all patient accounts, a wonderful doctor.

He remembered birthdays. He made house calls. He sat with elderly patients and actually listened to them — not the impatient, clock-watching performance of listening, but the real thing. Patients adored him. His waiting list was long. When he was arrested, his patients protested. They could not believe it.

Which brings us to today’s advice, and it’s genuinely useful despite the source:

Your relationship with your doctor matters enormously, and most people settle for far less than they should.

A GP who makes you feel rushed, who offers a prescription before you’ve finished your sentence, who visibly wants to move on — this is not a minor inconvenience. This is someone managing your health. The bar should be higher.

Find someone who asks follow-up questions. Who flags things for review. Who explains the reasoning, not just the conclusion. Who treats you as a participant in your own care rather than a task to be processed.

These doctors exist. They have long waiting lists, because everyone who finds one keeps them.

As for Shipman’s advice being delivered with some irony — yes, we’re aware. The man had appalling bedside manner in private.

But in the consultation room? Faultless.

File closed. Results pending.