Dr Kevin Jones retires from medicine - for the third time

Dr Kevin Jones, a well respected consultant at the Royal Bolton Hospital, had hung up his stethoscope and was planning his retirement before he found himself back on call.

And this time Dr Jones has been part of the coronavirus vaccination programme, where he is currently administering injections at Tonge Moor Health Centre to the over-80s.

Those who have not met Dr Jones professionally will undoubtedly know him for his stand-up comedy, which has taken him from the Albert Halls to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

THEATRE: Dr Kevin Jones to take to the theatre at Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Dr Jones first retired from the NHS in October 2014, and spent a year working in Whanganui General Hospital in New Zealand. He said the adventure reinvigorated him and he returned to work at the Royal Bolton Hospital .

He worked on the ambulatory care unit until retiring again at the end of December 2019 at the age of 65.

Dr Jones, who is married to Liz, a GP in Bolton ,said: "However, the covid crisis quickly ensued and I was asked to go back and help which I was very happy to do from March until the end of June when I retired (again) completely."

But this week he was called to help with the vaccination programme, working alongside medics for as long as he is needed.

Dr Kevin Jones

Dr Jones started his career as a junior doctor Merseyside, and in 1982 he worked as a registrar in respiratory medicine in Papworth and was in the operating theatre where the first successful heart-lung transplant for cystic fibrosis in the world was carried out by Mr John Wallwork, originally from Oswaldtwistle.

It was at Papworth Dr Jones conducted research into and published an MD thesis on pulmonary hypertension.

(Natalie Kerr with her family a few years ago)

“That proved lifesaving for a young nurse many years later, “ said Dr Jones, “People may remember the story of Natalie Kerr.

“She was desperately ill when I was called to see her on the obstetric ward at the Royal Bolton Hospital where she was in labour and going blue with every contraction. She had been a mystery to many doctors previously because she had suffered with breathlessness and blackouts for a few years which had now become much worse during her pregnancy.

“Because of my work at Papworth, I was able to immediately diagnose pulmonary hypertension “

“This was in 2008. Natalie later went on to have double lung transplantation at Wythenshawe Hospital and she is alive and very well today and recently had her 39th birthday.”

He also did a stint in St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London and secured a research fellowship at the University of Colorado.

After returning from America, he got his first consultant job at Bury General Hospital in 1992, where he was for seven years and from there he moved to the Royal Bolton Hospital as a consultant physician with an interest in respiratory medicine in the thoracic department.

In 1998 he changed to acute medicine, helping set up one of the first acute medical units in the North West.

Dr Jones said: “I can say with certainty that I have loved my time as a doctor. Many of my colleagues are advising their children to avoid doing medicine because of the pressure but I would certainly do it all again. I have loved the intellectual challenges and the joy of working in a team but most of all have loved the human aspect.

“I have always been a people person so you learn so much about your fellow beings. Patients tell you things that they would tell nobody else so you get to know a huge amount about how people react to adversity and tragedy.

"You learn a great deal about the human condition and therefore learn a great deal about yourself. You often wonder how you will react when you inevitably become ill or face your own death.

“I can also say that the Royal Bolton Hospital is the best place I have ever worked. I think it does an incredible job despite the overwhelming pressures. The standard of medicine here is excellent and the medical staff and management work well together to achieve the best for our patients.

“I was amazed at how well prepared we were for the covid crisis. At no stage did we run out of hospital beds, ICU beds or PPE. There is just such a friendly atmosphere when you go into work. It is a pleasure to work there.”

Dr Jones says looking back he hoped he has done “a decent job”.

He said: “You think of all the good things you did, the people you met, the colleagues you worked with, the medical students and junior doctors you taught but you are always haunted by the mistakes you have made.

"It is inevitable that as a doctor you will make mistakes; the problem is that your mistakes can have disastrous consequences. The British public will always say ‘doctors are only human, they are bound to make mistakes’ but that generous philosophy will certainly change if one of their loved ones is harmed. And I can totally understand that.

“If you do make a mistake the law refers to it as medical negligence which I think is a very pejorative term. It seems to suggest the mistake is due to a cavalier disregard of the patient’s safety.

“Sometimes, when confronted by a large amount of information from the patient’s story, their examination findings and the results of numerous investigations, a doctor can reach a considered conclusion and this may be wrong.

“You always feel dreadful if you make a mistake with tragic consequences. You feel for the patient and their family and you feel ashamed and angry with yourself and wish you could go back in time and put it right.

"You wonder whether you should resign and give up medicine completely. The problem is that if every doctor resigned after making a mistake, there wouldn’t be many left. All you can do is admit the mistake, apologise and learn from it. That doesn’t mean you don’t continue to lose sleep over it.”

If it hadn’t been for medicine, Dr Jones would not have performed at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Dr Kevin Jones on stage in Edingburgh for the festival

He said: “The other spin off from medicine has been my after-dinner speaking career. Medicine, like sex, death and the law is one of the eternal fascinations so I have had a second career as an entertainer.

“It started when I stood up at a Rugby League testimonial dinner in 1982 and culminated with my One Man Show which sold out for six nights at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2018. I was billed there as Britain’s Funniest Doctor which is pushing it a bit. I was able to justify this by saying that the really funny doctors Jonathan Miller, Graham Garden, Graham Chapman, Harry Hill and Adam Kay had all given up medicine while I was still practising.

"I have loved every minute of this career as well but if I had to choose between the two, there is no contest. I would choose my medical career every time."