How to stay firm on the tricky tightrope of 'friendly' medical advice

It was 9pm on Friday when I found myself on all fours scrambling to find the tablets that had shot out of Mum's Webster pack, and all I could think about was how much her carpet needed a good vacuum.

It had been one of those days, lots of time spent teasing out what was going on for my patients, lots of tears.

I decided to visit my elderly mum on the way home from this torrid day, as I hadn't had a chance to drop in all week. She greeted me at the door with