1st incision
151 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 months ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingOpening up the interface of Christian faith, medicine, nursing and health.
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Episodes
Junior Doctor Foundations - Episode 1: Introduction
November 11, 2022 17:00 - 24 minutes - 16.9 MBWelcome to this new mini-series of CMF’s 1st incision podcast, Junior Doctor Foundations. We kick-start this mini-series with six episodes focusing on how to thrive as a Christian junior doctor living and working in a culture described as a ‘Digital Babylon’. Life in the twenty-first century is accelerated and more complex than ever before. As Christians, especially junior doctors, it can feel like we are exiles living in a culture hostile to our faith. So how might we keep running the...
Joy and the grace of God
May 27, 2022 16:00 - 38 minutes - 26.3 MBIn his third and final talk for the 2022 CMF National Conference, Steve Midgley looks at what Paul says about being joyful in the midst of life's struggles. You can watch this and other talks from the 2022 CMF National Conference on the Official CMF TV YouTube channel. Support the Show.
Anger and the glory of God
May 20, 2022 16:00 - 40 minutes - 28 MBIn his second talk at the CMF National Conference in April 2022, Steve Midgley looks at Romans12:17-21 and what Paul tells us about dealing with anger, especially when things don't go our way. You can watch this and other talks from the 2022 CMF National Conference on the Official CMF TV YouTube channel. Support the Show.
Anxiety and the fatherhood of God
May 13, 2022 16:00 - 33 minutes - 22.7 MBIn a period of exceptional change, it is easy to feel disorientated. Usual ways of thinking don't seem to fit. Normal patterns of behaviour seem inappropriate. It can be unsettling. Of course, the way we each react to new situations will vary. Some feel fearful and anxious, while others get irritated and angry. But is there a gospel way to navigate our challenging world and deal with troubling emotions? In the first talk for the 2022 CMF National Conference, Steve Midgley looks at Jesus' co...
Medical support to Ukraine from Christian medics worldwide
May 04, 2022 12:00 - 24 minutes - 16.7 MBChrisitan Medical Fellowship in the UK is part of a much larger international network of over 80 similar fellowships (and growing!) known as the International Christian Medical and Dental Association (ICMDA). In this episode, we talk to its CEO, Peter Saunders, about the work of ICMDA, and in particular how it has been able to marshall support to help get medical supplies to the embattled people of Ukraine. If you want to know more about ICMDA visit icmda.net ICMDA has an extensive webinar...
Ethics, medicine, and the Christian faith
March 18, 2022 17:00 - 41 minutes - 28.2 MBIn this episode, Steve Fouch chats with Paul Coulter and Giles Cattermole, two doctors who have recently had books published by CMF. Both books look at the difference Christian faith makes in everyday life and everyday clinical practice. Giles' book 'Whatever' explores a cross-centred approach to ethics, while Paul's book, 'Serving Two Masters?' looks at how science, medicine, and faith intersect and add to each other rather than being in conflict. In a wide-ranging conversation, they look a...
Introducing the new Chair of Christian Medical Fellowship
February 18, 2022 17:00 - 16 minutes - 11.6 MBIn our second episode of 2022, we're introducing the new Chair of CMF, Euan McRorie. We don't often talk about what we do at Christian Medical Fellowship on this podcast, nor a lot about the people behind the fellowship, so in this episode, I'll be chatting to Euan a bit about who he is, what his role as Chair means, and why he is excited about taking it on at this time. You can find out more about CMF at www.cmf.org.uk And you can read some of our blogs on current issues at www.cmfblog.or...
Vaccine Mandates
February 04, 2022 17:00 - 46 minutes - 31.6 MBIn our first episode of 2022, we're looking once again at Covid vaccines. On 31 January 2022, the British Government announced that it was suspending its policy of mandatory Covid vaccinations for all health and social care staff in England. Various professional bodies, from the Royal College of Nursing to the Royal College of GPs, had opposed this. CMF's Associate CEO, Dr John Greenall, launched an open letter in January to the Secretary of State for Health, Sajid Javid, asking for a pause ...
Whole life faith
December 10, 2021 17:00 - 29 minutes - 20.4 MBLeave your faith at the door. Don't bring your God to work. Religion is a private matter. We've all heard things similar to this, and maybe we've thought them ourselves. In the modern world, faith is not something that seems to have a natural space in the workplace or the public square. There is a definite sacred/secular divide in public thought, and, if we are honest, in much of the church. CMF has always been committed to what we call 'whole life faith', and at the heart of our mission is...
Assisted Suicide & Euthanasia
November 26, 2021 17:00 - 54 minutes - 37.5 MBWelcome to the first episode in the latest series of CMF's ist incision podcast. We've been away for quite a few months, but there is a lot to talk about, and we start with an issue that remains at the top of the news. Every few weeks we see another headline about assisted suicide. Someone with a serious illness has been to Zurich to die at the Dignitas clinic, complaining that they should be able to choose when and how they die in the UK, but the law won't allow it. Polls show that the ma...
Season 6 finale
July 23, 2021 16:00 - 24 minutes - 17 MBThis is the last episode in our current season of 1st incision. And we thought it would be good to revisit some of the diverse range of issues we have discussed since we began our sixth season of the podcast in April. In the last four months, we have looked at everything from God's concerns for our everyday lives and how we can have a positive impact in the lives of colleagues and patients through God's work in and through us. We have considered the way the UK treats refugees and asylum se...
Freedom of conscience
July 09, 2021 16:00 - 39 minutes - 26.9 MBAs medical technology advances and the values at the heart of our society change, health professionals can often find their own values clashing with the demands of clinical specialties and employers. Whether that is being involved with abortions, new fertility technologies, or end of life care decisions, we may all, regardless of faith or other beliefs and values, find ourselves asking 'should I really be doing this?' Freedom of conscience has long been a cherished value in our culture and ...
Healthcare for refugees and asylum seekers
June 25, 2021 16:00 - 31 minutes - 21.6 MBThe treatment of people fleeing war, persecution and poverty has had a lot of coverage in the news and has been a major issue in referendums and elections in the UK and other nations for many years. Is this an issue that should concern us, both as Christians and health professionals? What are the issues, and how do we address them? In this episode, Steve Fouch will be talking with Dr Becky McFarlane about her work in providing healthcare to refugees and asylum seekers in Glasgow. Becky ...
Heaven in healthcare
June 11, 2021 16:00 - 33 minutes - 22.9 MBIn this edition, Dr John Greenall discusses with Dr Pete Carter of Heaven in Healthcare a diverse range of topics about health, healing, and how our understanding of heaven and what it means to be whole in Christ affects our attitudes towards medicine, miracles and God's healing in our lives. We also talk about disappointment when fervent prayers for healing seem not to be answered, and about how prayer can be offered as a complementary therapy on the NHS! Support the Show.
A Whole Life Disciple: A bigger gospel?
May 28, 2021 16:00 - 30 minutes - 21 MBOver the last three weeks, 1st incision has presented the main talks from the 2021 CMF National Conference on 24 April. In last week's episode, Mark Greene of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity looked at how we can live as a whole-life disciples of Jesus, shaping the culture in the everyday world. In this, the final talk in the series, he asks why we so often think that what we do in our homes, workplaces, at the school gate, and in our neighbourhood does not matter to God...
A Whole-Life Disciple: shaping a culture in the moment
May 21, 2021 16:00 - 29 minutes - 20 MBIn this week's episode from the 2021 CMF National Conference on 24 April, Mark Green of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity looks at how a whole life Christian discipleship may shape our life and practice in the every day. Looking at the story of Ruth (particularly chapter 2, v1-16), he explores how faithfulness to Christ leads us to simple steps and outworking Christlike values in our daily interactions. You learn more about the London Institute for Contemporary Christia...
A Whole-Life Disciple: sharing life under pressure
May 14, 2021 16:00 - 29 minutes - 20.5 MBOver the next three weeks, 1st incision will be presenting the main talks from the 2021 CMF National Conference on 24 April. Last week's episode was the plenary address by Florence Muindi. This week, drawing from Acts 27, in the first of his talks, Mark Greene of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, looks at how our discipleship in Christ can have a very concrete impact on how we deal with crises and challenges in the real world. You learn more about the London Institute for ...
For such a time as this
May 07, 2021 16:00 - 27 minutes - 19.2 MBAt this year's CMF National Conference on 24 April, Florence Muindi of Life in Abundance International, based in Kenya, gave the plenary address. Looking at the past year, she explores how the church and the Christian medical community has, along with the rest of the world, been in a disaster response mode as the COVID-19 pandemic has affected every nation. Her inspiring address looks at what God is saying to us through this difficult time and at the challenges and opportunities for God'...
Parish Nursing
April 23, 2021 16:00 - 45 minutes - 31.6 MBIn this episode we'll endeavour to answer the question, what is a Parish Nurse? You may have asked that question yourself in the past, or you may have never heard the term before. If you have never come across the term, I am speaking today with two Parish Nurses, Cath Carter, based in St Andrews, Scotland, and Gillian Fenner, based in Wolverhampton, England, about their two, very different parish nursing projects. If you want to find out more about Parish Nursing, how to train or how to se...
Vaccine hesitancy
April 09, 2021 16:00 - 29 minutes - 20.5 MBVaccines are very much in the news at the moment, but they have been around for over a hundred and fifty years. They may have done more to transform health than any other single measure other than access to clean water during that time. Yet there has always been a suspicion in part of the population that vaccines are not a good thing, varying from concern and hesitancy to outright opposition. And very often Christians have been at the forefront of this opposition. Why is that? What are the c...
Christians in the ambulance service
January 22, 2021 17:00 - 38 minutes - 26.4 MBThe front of the frontline of the NHS is the ambulance service. They are the first responders, on the scene dealing with incidents up and down the country. With COVID-19 adding to the usual pressures they face this winter, the pressures on these skilled crews is greater than at any time. Last November, in the midst of the second lockdown in England, I spoke with Simon King, founder of the Christian Ambulance Association (CAA) about being a Christian in the ambulance service, and the challen...
Human dignity
January 08, 2021 17:00 - 22 minutes - 15.4 MBWe all like to feel that we are seen as being of worth and value to others - that we are appreciated and treated with dignity and consideration. In medical literature and the social sciences, the idea of human dignity has become very prominent. But what actually is 'dignity' - what determines if someone has dignity or not. Is dignity innate, or a something that is given. And if it is given, can it be taken away, and by whom and in what circumstances? Today we are talking with Jennie Polloc...
COVID Vaccines
December 11, 2020 17:00 - 29 minutes - 20.1 MBIn the last few weeks, we have been hearing some exciting news about vaccines for COVID-19, with at least three showing signs of being very effective at preventing infection and one now licensed for use here in the UK. Could this be the 'magic bullet' that will take us out of the COVID crisis? But is there another side to the story? Will everyone have access to a vaccine, and will all of those who have the chance actually take it? And are there ethical questions in how these vaccines have ...
The Year of the Nurse and the Midwife
November 27, 2020 17:00 - 29 minutes - 20.4 MBThis year, 2020, has been designated by the World Health Organization as the 'Year of the Nurse and the Midwife'. Nursing and midwifery are the backbones of most healthcare systems around the world, yet when surveyed they often seem a demoralised and undervalued part of most health services. On top of that, 2020 has been the year of COVID-19, and maybe, as a result, we have all seen a lot more of what nursing, in particular, is all about. In this episode, we talk with Georgie Coster, CMF's...
Climate change and health
November 13, 2020 17:00 - 36 minutes - 25.3 MBDespite everything else in the headlines at the moment, climate change is still one of the biggest stories. It is a subject that evokes strong feelings. Many argue that there is no climate change and it is a grand hoax and a conspiracy; others claim it is a natural phenomenon and nothing to do with human activity, while others point out that the science is incontrovertible. Often this debate generates more heat than light. But often obscured by the debates is the worrying and very real impa...
Workplace culture
October 30, 2020 17:00 - 19 minutes - 13.3 MBWe've all experienced this. You are sitting in the staff room, and someone starts to tell a story about a colleague, a patient or one of the managers, and before you know it everyone is sharing gossip. We even see this happening in churches, although here it is more likely to be called 'sharing prayer news'. Is this just harmless banter, or is there a more dangerous side to it? And how do we respond to gossipy situations without coming over as prim or moralistic? In this episode of 1st i...
'Made to Live' - Dr Paul Saba and the fight for life in Canada
October 16, 2020 16:00 - 24 minutes - 17.1 MBIn today's episode, we are going to look at the vexed issue of assisted suicide and euthanasia in conversation with Dr Paul Saba, a family physician from Montreal, Canada. Paul has actively fought to stop the legalisation of euthanasia in Canada for many years. In his latest book, 'Made to live' he passionately lays out the case for why euthanasia is an abandonment of patients at the end of their lives, and that instead of helping them to die, we should be helping them to live the best life...
Caring for people nearing the end of their lives
October 02, 2020 16:00 - 34 minutes - 23.7 MBMark Twain once said there are only two certainties in life; death and taxes. Caring for those nearing the end of life is an important part of healthcare and one that has come to the fore in recent months. In this edition, we are talking to Idris Baker about some of the issues and ethics in the care of people nearing the end of their lives, and in particular how COVID-19 has had an impact on that care. Support the Show.
Racism, bullying and harassment: an NHS problem?
September 18, 2020 16:00 - 19 minutes - 13.1 MBOver the last six months or so there has been an outpouring of love for the NHS and the staff who provide care and support to us. We've all be out there clapping and putting up rainbows in a sign of support and solidarity. But not everyone who is treated in the NHS or works in it has such a positive experience. The colour of your skin can determine how you get treated, both as a patient and as a member of staff. Many students and junior staff report experiences of bullying and harassment, of...
Racism, bullying and harassment: an NHS problem?
September 18, 2020 16:00 - 19 minutes - 13.1 MBOver the last six months or so there has been an outpouring of love for the NHS and the staff who provide care and support to us. We've all be out there clapping and putting up rainbows in a sign of support and solidarity. But not everyone who is treated in the NHS or works in it has such a positive experience. The colour of your skin can determine how you get treated, both as a patient and as a member of staff. Many students and junior staff report experiences of bullying and harassment, of...
Altruistic Kidney Donation
September 04, 2020 16:00 - 16 minutes - 11.2 MBOver 4,000 people in the UK are in need of a kidney transplant. The kidney is one of the few organs that can be transplanted relatively safely from a live donor. But for the majority of those on the waiting list for a new kidney, the wait will depend on someone with healthy kidneys dying, and that wait can last years. Joseph Walsh has a story to tell about his own involvement with kidney transplantation, and we talk to him about why he thinks that Christians literally have something life-ch...
1st incision special - COVID-19: when demand outstrips supply
July 10, 2020 16:00 - 32 minutes - 22.5 MBThe outbreak of COVID-19 has had a huge impact on the healthcare systems of virtually every country on earth, and the UK has been no exception. A massive mobilisation and reorganisation of the British National Health Service (NHS) to address the challenges we were facing from this new and still poorly understood disease happened in weeks. And in the midst of this mass reorganisation, a lot of thinking had to go into how best to allocate limited resources as we faced a potential overload on t...
Series three recap & finale
June 26, 2020 16:00 - 6 minutes - 4.72 MBIn the last episode of season three of 1st incision, we look back at some of the ways Christian Medical Fellowship has been responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, and at some of the resources and support for health professionals that is still available. We're taking a break for the summer, but we'll be back in the autumn with a fresh series of interviews and discussions at the interface of faith, medicine, nursing and midwifery that affect our Christian lives in today's world. Past episodes o...
Miracles
June 12, 2020 16:00 - 18 minutes - 12.5 MBThe Christian faith stands or falls on the miracle of Jesus' resurrection. But how do we stand in relation to miracles today, especially as health professionals? Do miraculous healings still happen, can we command them, and how we handle situations where our patients claim to have been healed? David Randall talks with Steve Fouch about how we can engage with the miraculous as Christians and health professionals. Support the Show.
Christian nurses ministering globally
May 29, 2020 16:00 - 20 minutes - 14.1 MBAnne Biro, the Vice-President of Nurses Christian Fellowship International (NCFI) talks with Steve Fouch about how Christian nurses in the UK and in many other nations are connecting together to encourage, teach and train each other during 2020, the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife (you can read more about this at https://cmf.li/36c3WUy and about the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale at https://cmf.li/3bo1NaM). To find out more about CMF’s work with nur...
COVID-19 voices from the frontline - the intensivist
May 22, 2020 16:00 - 12 minutes - 8.58 MBIn our fortieth and final voices from the frontline, we talk to Audrey, an intensivist at a Glasgow intensive care unit. At the sharp end of dealing with COVID-19, she and her team have been working longer hours, with trainees and non-specialists taking on new roles caring for those most seriously affected by the disease. How have she and her team handled the remarkable circumstances in which they have found themselves in the last three months? How has she found Jesus amid this crisis? Th...
COVID-19 voices from the frontline - the pharmacist
May 21, 2020 16:00 - 8 minutes - 5.61 MBEsther is a community-based pharmacist, working closely with general practices. With social distancing and shielding, normal dispensing of medicines has changed considerably. What are the challenges, changes and stresses that pharmacy staff facing during lockdown. How is she finding spiritual support, and how can we pray for Esther and other pharmacists and frontline workers at this time. Esther is an active member of Christians in Pharmacy - a national network for Christians working in and...
COVID-19 voices from the frontline - the pharmacist
May 21, 2020 16:00 - 8 minutes - 5.61 MBEsther is a community-based pharmacist, working closely with general practices. With social distancing and shielding, normal dispensing of medicines has changed considerably. What are the challenges, changes and stresses that pharmacy staff facing during lockdown. How is she finding spiritual support, and how can we pray for Esther and other pharmacists and frontline workers at this time. Esther is an active member of Christians in Pharmacy - a national network for Christians working in and...
COVID-19 voices from the frontline - the prison doctor
May 20, 2020 16:00 - 14 minutes - 9.77 MBRachael works in NHS prison general practice and is medical director of Integritas Healthcare, a Christian faith-inspired NGO working with detainees in the UK and overseas, particularly in the Philippines. How has COVID-19 affected detainees and prisons in the UK? How is it affecting the delivery of medical care in prisons in the Philippines? And how is she able to bring spiritual support and wholistic care to prisoners? You can find out more about the work of Integritas at https://integr...
COVID-19 voices from the frontline, Kurdistan, Iraq
May 19, 2020 16:00 - 11 minutes - 4.33 MBDr Janan works as a surgeon in Kurdistan, Northern Iraq. His work involves regularly providing surgical care in refugee camps. Northern Iraq has been in lockdown since the first cases of COVID-19 appeared in March, and it seems that the epidemic is under control there. But there is still a real concern that the coronavirus could still break out in the refugee camps, where hand washing and social distancing is not practical. With economic pressures, insecurities and concerns about infection s...
COVID-19 voices from the frontline - the paramedic
May 18, 2020 16:00 - 9 minutes - 6.77 MBBen is a frontline paramedic, dealing with priority ambulance calls. He also helps lead a Christian fellowship group within the ambulance service, part of the Christian Ambulance Association. There have been increased pressures and opportunities since COVID-19 became a real issue, and it has changed his work, but also the network of support and prayer for frontline crews. How are Christian paramedics and ambulance staff responding in faith and hope to what God is doing in the midst of this p...
Medical Mission, ‘Tentmaking’ and Finishing the Task
May 15, 2020 16:00 - 31 minutes - 21.6 MBDr Peter Saunders gives an overview of how God is active across the globe working through healthcare professionals. We ask how medical mission is changing, discuss ‘tentmaking’, and ask when and where our skills might be useful. Peter diagnoses some barriers to our involvement both in the UK and overseas in a challenging and thought-provoking discussion. You can read more about the work of Peter's organisation, Christian Medical and Dental Association (ICMDA) at https://icmda.net/ Support ...
COVID-19 voices from the frontline - Spain
May 14, 2020 16:00 - 10 minutes - 7.23 MBSara is a family medicine doctor in Madrid, Spain. The country has been hit hard, especially in Madrid, and Sara has personal experience of surviving the virus. She has been actively involved in community-based care for COVID-19 patients and has been part of a wider research group looking at treating the disease outside of acute hospitals. How has COVID-19 affected how she prays and cares for her patients? Support the Show.
COVID-19 voices from the frontline - the palliative care specialist
May 13, 2020 16:00 - 7 minutes - 5.4 MBAlice is a palliative care specialist. In a speciality that has always focused on touch, close personal interaction and open access visiting, COVID-19 and social distancing measures have totally changed the way that she is caring for the dying and the bereaved. It is taking a toll on her team as well as on dying patients and their families. As she goes into these difficult situations, how does her faith equip her to respond in such a time as this? Support the Show.
COVID-19 voices from the frontline - the psychiatrist
May 12, 2020 16:00 - 8 minutes - 5.83 MBMental health is a big issue in the current crisis. Today we talk to Hans, a psychiatrist from Switzerland. Uncertainties about the illness, its effects on us and our loved ones, on our livelihoods, on everyday life, can all lead to anxiety and isolation. How can we cope with these strains on our mental health? Are there positive challenges and opportunities to be discovered in these situations? You can find out more about ICMDA at https://icmda.net and at our COVID-19 blogs at https://...
COVID-19 voices from the frontline - sidelined
May 11, 2020 16:00 - 9 minutes - 6.26 MBWhat about those who aren't on the COVID-19 frontline? Steve works at CMF and is a consultant neuro-rehabilitation specialist. He was due to go into partial retirement just as the lockdown began, and found himself at home with no clinical role and watching his colleagues putting their lives on the line to care for patients. How has this affected him? What is he doing now, and how are the non-COVID patients he sees dealing with the situation? It's not just some health workers who feel sidel...
COVID-19 voices from the frontline - the pain specialist
May 08, 2020 16:00 - 9 minutes - 6.36 MBTom is a senior consultant in pain medicine, specialising in portable devices that help manage chronic pain. Although he practised for many years in the US, he is now working in the UK. How is COVID-19 having an impact on his work? How does he see his faith equipping him to meet the needs of his patients? Support the Show.
COVID-19 voices from the frontline - the neonatologist
May 07, 2020 16:00 - 11 minutes - 7.99 MBLee is a neonatologist, working with very premature babies who need intensive support in the first weeks of life. He recently volunteered to work at the London Nightingale Hospital, working with adults on ventilators with COVID-19. He supports more junior staff who are less experienced in nursing ventilated patients. How does he reconcile his Christian faith with the suffering he sees as a result of COVID-19? Remember to #ClapandPray with us on social media on Thursdays from 20:10 (8:10 pm...
COVID-19 voices from the frontline - the medical student volunteer
May 06, 2020 16:00 - 7 minutes - 5.25 MBRachael is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Manchester. Before the pandemic she was halfway through her neurology placement, but since COVID-19 interrupted her studies, she has been volunteering at the hospital, helping out in practical ways supporting clinical staff. With her studies suspended and the coming months looking really uncertain, how is her faith helping to keep her focused and grounded. You can read more about CMF's student ministry at https://www.cmf.org.u...
COVID-19 voices from the frontline - the paediatric nurse
May 05, 2020 16:00 - 9 minutes - 6.81 MBChelsea is a paediatric critical care nurse who has been re-deployed to an adult ICU caring for COVID-19 patients. What is it like moving from child to adult intensive care? What is it like working twelve-hour shifts in PPE with the most seriously ill COVID-19 patients? How is she processing all she has had to deal with over the last few weeks? You can read more about CMF's nursing and midwifery ministry at https://www.cmf.org.uk/nurses/ Support the Show.