Volume 7, Issue 3, Pages 105 – 150 (2008)

There is no doubt that this Winter has been tough for those of us working in Acute Medical Units. At the time of writing I find myself in the depths of the post-Christmas blues; the combination of Bank Holidays, ward closures, junior doctor illness and huge admission surges have conspired to make January even more challenging than normal. No doubt the printing delays will have meant that, by the time you are reading this Editorial, these days will be a distant memory. Maybe this will serve as a useful reminder of the need for forward planning in time for next year, rather than breathing the usual sigh of relief as we steel ourselves for Easter. Perhaps a more imaginative colour coding system for our ‘alert’ system would be a start – simply alternating between ‘red alert’ (awful) and ‘black alert’ (even worse) can become quite tedious as the weeks pass. A few shades of maroon or magenta to remind us that ‘today is slightly better than yesterday’ might help break the monotony. We could even opt for a full rainbow spectrum to signify the hope that one day all of our efforts will be worthwhile….it’s important to stay positive in these difficult times!