Matt Morgan: We all contain multitudes

My fellow BMJ columnist Rachel Clarke has rightly argued recently that we should judge health secretaries according to their policies, not their appearance, after widespread public criticism of a photo of England’s new health secretary, Thérèse Coffey, “smoking a cigar while clutching a flute of champagne.”1 And there are plenty of terrible policies to pass judgment on.But does the same apply to healthcare professionals who work directly with patients? What about the heart surgeon who smokes? Or the whisky drinking hepatologist? Isn’t it true that healthcare professionals can be hypocrites, handing out advice to patients that they themselves don’t follow?I’ve felt guilty at work before now, caring for a critically injured cyclist after forgetting my own helmet on that morning’s ride. Although the adage that “you’re only an alcoholic if you drink more than your doctor” is untrue, evidence suggests that medical specialists tend to drink to hazardous levels more…
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