In this episode I talk with Dr Joseph Hawkins, best known as Joe to his colleagues and patients where he works at St Peter’s hospital in Chertsey. Joe is a palliative medicine consultant and has worked in community, hospital and hospice settings as both registrar and consultant.

We explore Joe’s creative writing, the nuance of language and how naming dying enables living and planning

Key messages from guest

• Joe describes his study of journalism and how this impacted his writing

• We explore the complexities of the word palliative and the unusual need to explain this speciality

• Joe describes the challenges of defining dying and role of palliative care

• Joe talks through his research into radiological investigations in the last 6 months of life

Resource

Access resource discussed in the episode:

• Diagnosing dying.

• Repeated radiological procedures in the last 6 months of life in old age: a retrospective study

• Palliative Care: Caring for bears as well as unicorns 

• In your final years, do you want your doctor to talk to you about death? Here’s how it can help Kathryn Mannix

Bio: 

Dr Joseph Hawkins is best known as Joe to his colleagues and patients where he works at St Peter’s hospital in Chertsey. Joe is a palliative medicine consultant and has worked in community, hospital and hospice settings as both registrar and consultant. He enjoys a broad number of hobbies as well as spending time with his family and writing about palliative care in different forms. 

Joe’s work can be found on the EAPC blog, BMJ supportive and palliative care print journal, blog and the Royal College of Physicians magazine. 

Joe’s Twitter (X) handle is: @JoeHawk75825077