Ok, no blogpost tomorrow so I thought I'd set up a moral/ethical/legal question to keep you interested. This was suggested to me by one of my colleagues (who will get a dedication in my next book - if I remember).

You are called to a young woman, apparently collapsed. As you get there you very quickly realise that she is faking the collapse. Her friends want you to 'save her!'

So far, so normal.

As you deal with the patient, checking for medic-alert bracelets and the like you take out of her pocket a small amount of cocaine.

The patient 'wakes up' and you are now holding a 'Class A restricted drug'.

Do you give it back to the patient, aware that this is bad for her health, and illegal?

Do you 'confiscate' it and dispose of it somewhere, knowing that this counts as stealing from her?

Do you call the police and have them deal with it, even though there is the issue of patient confidentiality and breaches the trust people have with the ambulance service?

If you take it to the police for disposal, what do you tell them? (Yes, I know they are unlikely to care much, but you might get a crusader)?

Or do you do something that I haven't thought of?

It's this sort of real world stuff that sometimes catches us out.

About my foot. I went to see my GP. Oh dear. Not a smile as I went in to the office (and I was the second patient of the shift for him), general disinterest from him. He wasn't going to examine my foot until I took off my shoe. He then examined my foot through my heavy sock. He's prescribed me some anti-inflammatories and rest. Then to return in a week if it's not better.

I've also got a sick note for this week, but I think that'll be the limit of the time I can stay off work - I'll just have to hope it's better by then.