In this episode, Dr Kat Ralston hears about a case that changed the practice of Dr Chris Tiplady. They discuss the importance of recognising when a patient may be entering the last phase of life, what we owe to patients and families in understanding what matters to them, and how we can navigate managing uncertainty and being wrong as clinicians.

Dr Chris Tiplady has been a Consultant Haematologist in Northumbria since 2001 and has held a number of roles in postgraduate and undergraduate medical education over the years. He has been a Director of Medical Education in two trusts and now leads the Master of Medical Education course at Sunderland University. He also has a regular blog published by the Royal College of Pathologists, discussing professionalism in medicine.

Dr Kat Ralston is a geriatric medicine registrar in Edinburgh. She is also the Education Co-Vice Chair and the joint Podcast Lead for the RCPE Trainee & Members' Committee (T&MC).

Recording date: 14 April 2025

-- Useful Links --

NHS England, Last 1000 days - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HynytVepxZc

REDMAP toolkit for future care planning conversations - https://www.spict.org.uk/red-map/

The King's Fund, Patients' preferences matter: stop the silent misdiagnosis (May 2012) - https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/reports/patients-preferences-matter

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