Finding Meaning In Healthcare

In this episode, GP and medical educator Professor Sabena Jameel tells the story of a life changing relationship with a patient.  Through the lens of the hermeneutic window, she explains to Rupal Shah and Bob Clarke how a simple act of kindness saved someone’s life and fundamentally changed her own views about the role of a GP. 

This podcast is generously sponsored by The Della Fish Foundation.

The book “Finding Meaning in Healthcare...

What is the role of the GP when patients can’t or won’t follow medical advice? In this episode, GP and medical educator Professor Anne Stephenson tells the story of how she tried to help a woman who is unable to lose weight and who is in chronic pain. Looking through the hermeneutic window, she discusses questions with Rupal Shah and Bob Clarke like: what is ‘holding work’ and can it be justified in an overstretched system? What sh...

What happens when a vulnerable patient threatens to kill their GP? In this episode, guest GP and medical educator Jens Foell tells the story of his turbulent relationship with a man with drug dependency and a violent past – and the affection that developed between them despite the odds. He talks to Rupal Shah and Bob Clarke about how he responded to his patient’s demands for controlled drugs, to the death threats that were made and...

What place do small, human gestures have in modern medicine? In this episode, guest GP Jane Myat shares the story of a patient living with trauma -and the simple gift of tulips that opened space for healing, narrative, and connection. With Rupal Shah and Bob Clarke, she reflects on boundaries, creativity, and the hermeneutic window: how meaning-making transforms both patient and doctor.

This podcast is generously sponsored by The De...

A young mother comes for her postnatal check. Her past notes suggest risk, her present story suggests strength. Should the GP press for more or trust what she offers? In this episode, Rupal Shah and Bob Clarke explore the ethical dilemmas at the heart of safeguarding, continuity, and trust. Through the lens of the hermeneutic window, they ask: what is our role as clinicians when vulnerability isn’t clear-cut?

This podcast is generou...

Medicine today can feel rushed, remote, and transactional. But what if consultations could be more than box-ticking? In this series, GPs and medical educators Rupal Shah and Bob Clarke explore real stories from primary care where moral choices shape both patient and doctor. Drawing on their model of the “hermeneutic window” - a space for deeper understanding - they reveal how reconnecting with meaning can transform healthcare for p...