Senior Member vacancies 2014-15

We have three senior member vacancies at Connaught Hall for the 2014-15 academic year. 

One post starts in mid-July. Two posts start on 1 September. 

The closing date for applications is 4 May. 

For information and to apply, visit http://ig29.i-grasp.com/fe/tpl_universityoflondon01.asp?newms=jj&id=114154&aid=18699. 

Away from Connaught Hall 26 April to 6 May

I am away on leave from Connaught Hall until 6th May. I will aim to reply to emails received during my absence by 14th May.

If you need help with anything before 14th May, please speak with a Senior Member in Hall or email the management team at info.connaught@london.ac.uk.

If your email is about re-admission to Connaught Hall for 2014-15, please write to info.halls@london.ac.uk. I regret that I am unable to provide any further input into this process.

If your email is about Senior Member vacancies, please refer to the information at http://ig29.i-grasp.com/fe/tpl_universityoflondon01.asp?newms=jj&id=114154&aid=18699.

The Senior Members and management team can contact me by telephone in case of a serious emergency while I am away, and can also seek assistance from the warden of another hall if a situation requires it.

Help with alcohol & drug use concerns

Several recent incidents in the halls have provided harsh reminders of the serious and immediate risk to health and life that "recreational" drugs - including new psychoactive substances and herbal or "legal highs" - and/or excessive use of alcohol can pose to otherwise fit and well students. And of course there is also a good body of evidence showing the longer-term physical and mental health risks of regular use. So we are writing to remind you about the help that is available to safeguard you from alcohol- and drug-related harm.

Whilst the possession or use of illegal drugs is a disciplinary offence, our primary concern will always be for your safety and wellbeing. If you genuinely seek our help because you are worried about your use of alcohol or drugs, we will approach your concerns confidentially and non-judgmentally. We will seek to provide you with the support you need. If you are willing to accept professional help, in most cases we will not pursue disciplinary action. 

Similarly, if you are concerned about a friend's use of alcohol or drugs in the hall, you can tell us in confidence, without fear that you will get your friend in trouble. Telling us your concerns about a friend's use of alcohol or drugs could be the thing that saves their life. Please don't stand by and do nothing. 

Most importantly, if you or a friend become unwell after taking drugs, please get medical help (call 999 for an ambulance) and inform the front-desk security immediately. In a medical emergency our concern is always to ensure that the paramedics and doctors treating you know exactly what has happened and why, so please tell us the whole story. Your health and wellbeing always come first. 

So if you are concerned about any matter relating to alcohol or drug use in hall - your own or someone else's - make an appointment to speak in confidence with your Warden. 

English law places some requirements on us that mean we must use the disciplinary procedure in certain circumstances. These are: 

     1. If there is any evidence that a resident is supplying drugs to others. 

     2. If smoking drugs such as cannabis inside the Hall is causing a breach of the Health Act 2010. 

     3. If the use of drugs in the Hall causes risk to the safety of other residents, staff, or the public.


We will also use the disciplinary procedure if we find evidence of illegal drug use in your room but neither you nor a friend has come forward seeking help. It is too late to ask for our help after we have found evidence of drug use.

Links to sites providing information on alcohol and drug use disorder are provided below, with contact details for counselling and support services. Whilst we do wish to provide direct support these hopefully provide alternative avenues if you feel unable to contact anyone in hall. Whether hall staff or alternative support provision, please do seek professional help and do gain understanding of the risks you face.

EXTERNAL SOURCES OF HELP & ADVICE
Help with alcohol use concerns
DRINKAWARE: Sensible drinking tips & help with alcohol problems - www.drinkaware.co.uk 

DRINK SMARTER: Sensible drinking tips & help with alcohol problems - www.drinksmarter.org/drinkline - 0800 7 314 314 

CAMDEN ALCOHOL SERVICE: Individual and group counselling sessions and advice on alcohol related problems - http://bit.ly/XHnhCv - 020 3227 4950 

FOUNDATION 66: Individual sessions with people under 23 who have concerns about alcohol use - http://bit.ly/UspAf3  


Help with drug use concerns
VITAL INFORMATION PACK: Lots of information about drugs, including what first aid you should give if a friend gets unwell after using drugs - http://bit.ly/1cd2oYb  

DRUGS RECOGNITION & EMERGENCY FIRST AID: This leaflet will help you if you're worried about a friend who might be using drugs, and show you how to help them in an emergency - http://bit.ly/OpCfAq

TALK TO FRANK: The National Drugs Helpline - www.talktofrank.com - 0300 123 6600 - Text 82111

DRUGSLINE: Support, counselling and information about drugs - www.drugsline.org - 0808 1 606 606

LONDON FRIEND ANTIDOTE: The UK’s only LGB&T run and targeted drug and alcohol support service - http://bit.ly/WZwFlN - 020 7833 1674 

CAMDEN DRUGS & ALCOHOL ACTION TEAM: Individual and group sessions to help with alcohol and drugs issues - http://bit.ly/1bYrTlx - 020 7974 2915

Kitchen gas supply restored

As previously advised via Facebook and posters, the gas supply to the kitchen has been restored and all meals are being served at Connaught Hall as normal.

No gas in the kitchen

A gas fault in the kitchen means we are currently unable to prepare any hot food at Connaught Hall.

Starting from dinner on Saturday 15 February, all meals will be served at International Hall, Lansdowne Terrace, WC1N 1AS. (Here's a map: https://goo.gl/maps/e2oSX.)

Meals will be at the same time as at Connaught Hall.

We are very sorry for the inconvenience caused and will keep you updated via this blog.

CCTV to be installed in pantries this week

Sadly, I receive many complaints about food being stolen from the pantry refrigerators. A very small minority of residents are responsible for this, I know, but I still find it quite extraordinary and very disappointing that adults at some of the best higher education institutions in the world engage in such petty theft.

We already have one tested, effective method for detecting food thieves. But its efficacy depends upon the technique being kept secret, and it is very time-consuming for staff, so we cannot operate that method all the time. That is why, from this week, we will be placing mobile CCTV cameras in the pantries. Some cameras will be hidden; others will be more visible as a deterrent. Not every pantry will be monitored all the time: we will rotate the cameras between different places.

Anyone who is caught stealing food will be subject to disciplinary action.

I am very disappointed that it has proven necessary to take this step. I have argued many times against installing CCTV in common rooms, pantries, and the bar because I very much dislike infringing your privacy in this way. But the number of complaints recently has made it plain that we simply must do something more.

Ideally, we shall not catch anyone stealing food: much better that those responsible simply stop doing it! For sometimes, your fellow residents keep food in the fridge because they are unwell and can only muster an appetite for certain foods, or because they have special dietary requirements. They might have to go hungry if someone else takes their food, whether we catch the thief or not. And whatever the reason for having food in the refrigerators, it is really upsetting (and can be expensive) to find it stolen by someone else.

So please only take food or drink from the fridge if you bought it.

I thought it important to write to you about our new CCTV initiative because you may wish to dress or behave differently when using the pantries if you know you may be being recorded. We have ensured that clear signs are displayed to remind you that CCTV may be in operation.

As always, come to an open office session (openoffice.connaught-hall.org.uk) or write to me if you have any concerns or if anything is not clear.

Lower ground floor: hygienic use of toilet facilities

I wrote to you just over a week ago with an offer of help and support in case you are feeling stressed or unwell at the moment. I particularly mentioned eating distress because we have noticed that there has been frequent soiling of the toilet facilities on your floor with vomitus, first before Christmas, but worse this term.

No one has asked for help so far, although of course that offer remains open and will remain open for the rest of the year. I have included a copy of my last letter with this one in case you misplaced it before.

The soiling of the toilet facilities, however, has become a greater problem. This must now stop immediately.

As well as vomitus in and around the toilet, we have seen toilets blocked with paper and sanitary products – and even a toilet brush. This is very unfair on other uses of those facilities, extremely unpleasant for the cleaners, and poses a hygiene risk, particularly in view of our recent outbreak of diarrhoea & vomiting. This can only be deliberate: sanitary products and toilet brushes do not put themselves into the toilets. And whilst all of us at Connaught Hall will do our utmost to help and support anyone who is experiencing mental or physical health challenges, we will not allow the continued deliberate soiling of toilet facilities.

Please follow this guidance:

1. Place any sanitary products for disposal in the bins provided. 
   Do not put them in the toilet.
   
2. Use the sanitizer spray provided and a small amount of toilet tissue to clean the toilet seat before use (if you wish to). 
   Do not put layer upon layer of tissue on the toilet seat, as this causes blockages when it is flushed away.
   
3. If you have an accident and soil the toilet seat or the area surrounding the toilet, please use the cleaning spay and some toilet tissue to wipe it up and then flush away the tissue. 
   Do not leave faeces or vomitus on the seat or around the toilet.
   
   Cleaning spray has now been provided, so there is no excuse for leaving a mess.
   
4. After you have flushed the toilet, use a brush if necessary to clean it. Do not use a brush while there is still tissue in the toilet bowl.
   
5. If you notice any soiling of the bathroom or toilet facilities, please report it immediately:

• Phone reception (extension 8200) and tell them what the problem is; and
• Send an email to suggestions@connaught-hall.org.uk so we can build up a record of exactly when this is happening. This should help us to track down the person responsible.
• If you have any suspicion of who might be responsible, please talk to me in confidence.

I hope this is clear. Allow me to stress again that if you are experiencing problems right now, we will do our best to help and support you. Provided there is not more soiling of the toilet facilities, there will be no disciplinary repercussions. If, however, this mess continues to be a problem, I will have no option but to pursue this as a disciplinary matter, for the sake of all the other residents on the lower ground floor.

As always, please contact me if you need any help, advice, or further explanation.

Toilet isolation lifted this morning

There have been no new reports of residents being unwell with diarrhoea and vomiting for over 36 hours.

This morning, as each toilet block is cleaned, the yellow triangle and green tick signs will be removed and all bathrooms will be back in normal use for everyone except:

• on the first floor, the single toilet next to room 128; and
• on the second floor, the single toilet next to room 228.

These two toilets will be for the exclusive use of people who have had any diarrhoea and/or vomiting within the last 48 hours.

If you have had diarrhoea and/or vomiting within the last 48 hours, we ask that you please only use one of these two toilets, until you have been free from symptoms for 48 hours.

We should be able to return these two toilets to normal use tomorrow or Wednesday, provided no one else becomes unwell.

Food poisoning investigation

The pattern of cases of diarrhoea & vomiting so far is more suggestive of person-to-person spread than of food poisoning, but we always conduct a full investigation into food safety whenever there is an outbreak of this type of illness in Hall.

The catering team will send food samples for analysis if there is any food left from Thursday night, which is when most people became unwell. 

It is also really helpful if anyone who is unwell sees their GP and has a stool sample sent for analysis. This is the only sure way to determine what the cause of this illness is.

Finally, we ask that everyone who has been affected completes this form and sends it to info.connaught@london.ac.uk or hands a printed copy to the Hall Manager on Monday morning:

connaught-hall.org.uk/documents/AllegedFoodPoisoningReport.doc

D&V: Fewer notifications in last 24 hours

Only two new notifications of people being unwell with diarrhoea and vomiting have come through in the last 24 hours. If there are no more notifications overnight tonight, we may be able to reduce the number of toilets reserved for sick people on Sunday morning.

It is extremely important that if you are unwell with diarrhoea and vomiting today - or if you have been in the last two days, but haven't told us yet - that you tell us by email. If we don't have accurate numbers and locations of those who are sick, we cannot make a proper assessment of when to relax the isolation precautions, and we cannot help you individually if we don't know you're unwell!

We need you to tell us by email: not in person, telephone, Facebook, or any other means. This helps us to keep an accurate log and ensures that everyone who needs to know does know in a timely manner. 

So if you are or have been unwell in the last two days, please send an email to both wardens.team@connaught-hall.org.uk and info.connaught@london.ac.uk. Please send an email even if you have already told a member of staff verbally or by some other means.

In your email, please mention:

• your name and room number;
• what are your symptoms? (e.g. diarrhoea, vomiting, fever?);
• when did your symptoms first start?;
• did you eat in the dining hall at Connaught Hall on Thursday night, and if so, what did you eat?
• do you need any practical help from us right now?

There is lots of information about this outbreak, and tips on how to look after yourself if you are diarrhoea and/or vomiting, at connaught-hall.org.uk/vomiting.html. 

Updates are being posted here on my blog. You can see them all at connaughthall.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/vomiting%20February%202014.

Getting food from the dining hall if you are unwell

If you are currently unwell with diarrhoea and/or vomiting, or have been within the last 48 hours, please try to limit the number of visitors you have and don't eat in the dining hall.

We have asked the kitchen to let your friends collect food for you over the weekend, and bring it to your room. Please get in touch with a friend and ask them to collect your meals for you.

If we stop the spread of this illness promptly now, it will be much easier to contain. We all have a part to play but isolating ourselves if we are sick, helping friends, and making sure we all wash our hands with soap and water frequently.

Handwashing

Washing your hands with soap & water is the most important thing you can do to prevent the spread of illnesses like flu and norovirus.

It is really important that you wash your hands with soap and water frequently, and ALWAYS:

• after using the bathroom;
• after coughing, sneezing, or vomiting;
• after contact with someone who is unwell;
• before eating or preparing food.

Full information about self-care and handwashing, etc, at http://www.connaught-hall.org.uk/vomiting.html.

Separate toilets for people with diarrhoea & vomiting

We now have 9 residents who have told us they are unwell with diarrhoea and/or vomiting. The true number is likely to be higher and some may have already contracted the illness but not developed symptoms yet.

To help prevent the spread of infection, s

ome bathrooms have been designated for the exclusive use of people who are unwell, and some for the exclusive use of people who have not been unwell for at least 48 hours. 

If you're unwell (or have been within 48 hours), only use bathrooms with a yellow triangle. 

If you are well (and haven't been unwell in the last 48 hours), only use bathrooms with a green tick.

And always... wash your hands!

Full information about self-care and handwashing, etc, at http://www.connaught-hall.org.uk/vomiting.html.

Have you been unwell in the last 24 hours?

We are aware of a number of cases of diarrhoea and vomiting in the Hall. It is vital that we establish how many people are affected, so we can put infection control precautions in place if necessary.

If you've been unwell with diarrhoea and/or vomiting in the last 24 hours, please email us ASAP at wardens.team@connaught-hall.org.uk and info.connaught@london.ac.uk. We need to know:

a) your name and room number;

b) what are your symptoms? (e.g. diarrhoea, vomiting, fever?);

c) when did your symptoms first start?;

d) did you eat in the dining hall at Connaught Hall on Thursday night, and if so, what did you eat?

e) do you need any practical help from us right now?

We will use your email to keep a list of everyone affected, and a member of staff will check that you're OK within 8 hours of receipt. If you need help more urgently, contact reception (extension 8200) and ask for the Duty Senior Member, available 24 hours a day over the weekend. If lots of people are affected, we may need to set up separate toilets for those who are ill, so as to avoid spreading their illness to others. We always notify our caterers of any outbreak of diarrhoeal illness in Hall, so they can commence an investigation into any possible allegations of food poisoning, although a viral illness such as Norovirus is more likely.

If you are ill with diarrhoea and vomiting, please visit your GP today if possible, tell them several residents have been unwell with the same symptoms, and ask if they will send a stool sample for you. This will help us work out which bug has caused people to be unwell, and maybe where ...it came from.

Remember to drink plenty of clear fluids, use paracetamol to relieve pain and/or fever, and let a friend know that you're unwell. Please observe strict hygiene in the bathrooms to avoid passing any bugs to others! There is more advice about self-treatment of diarrhoea and vomiting here: nhs.uk/Conditions/Diarrhoea/Pages/Treatment.aspx.

If you are not affected by any symptoms, please remember to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after using the bathroom or visiting anyone who is unwell. This will help ensure you don't catch anything.

I have put up more information on a dedicated page on our website: connaught-hall.org.uk/vomiting.html. 

Visit this link for blog updates on the situation: connaughthall.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/vomiting%20February%202014 

Happy lunar new year

恭禧发财
Gong xi fa cai
Wishing you to be prosperous in the coming year.

Happy lunar new year to everyone who is welcoming in the year of the horse over the next two weeks. We at Connaught Hall wish you health, luck, and prosperity in this new year.

新年快乐
Xin nian kuai le!

Happy new year!

Lower ground floor: Looking after your wellbeing & welfare

We know that coming back to college after the Christmas break can be a really stressful time. Academic stress from exams and coursework deadlines, as well as the stress of making plans for accommodation next year, adds up and can take its toll on your personal welfare – sometimes in ways you couldn’t have predicted.

Recently, we have noticed frequent evidence of vomiting in the early evenings in the female toilets on your floor. We’re worried that someone might be feeling distressed and we want to help.

Here in Hall, the Senior Members and I are used to listening to residents’ worries and concerns. As Warden, as also in my other career as a medical doctor, I have many years’ experience of helping students like you deal with a whole array of issues, from self-harm and problems with food to relationship breakdown and revision problems. The Senior Members have all received mental health awareness training, including eating distress. We are here to listen, to understand, and to guide you to the best sources of help.

Conversations with us are confidential: the Senior Members might need to tell me about something if they’re worried, but we will only contact anyone outside the team if we consider that you are in immediate danger. So you really can come and talk to us about absolutely anything.

You can read about what we do and how we can help at www.connaught-hall.org.uk/pages/welfare/support.htmland there’s more about us in the Resident’s Handbook (http://handbook.connaught-hall.org.uk).

If you would like our help with something:

• email me for an appointment – warden@connaught-hall.org.uk (I have some time available on Sunday evening this week);
• come to an open office session – openoffice.connaught-hall.org.uk;
• text me (if you want to be anonymous) on 07 907 753 894;
• contact Joe, the Senior Member for your floor – joe.mason@connaught-hall.org.uk – or Vikki, if you would prefer to talk with a female Senior Member – vikki.easton@connaught-hall.org.uk; or
• ask reception to call the Duty Senior Member between 6pm and 9pm any evening (or overnight in a real emergency) – you don’t have to tell the security officer what the problem is; just say you really need to see the Duty Senior Member.

If you’re distressed about something but not ready or willing to speak with one of us yet, please consider checking out or calling one of these sources of external help:

Mental wellbeing

SAMARTIANS

Talk things through with a trained volunteer on the phone, by text, or at their Central London branch (9am-9pm): 46 Marshall Street, London W1F 9BFCentral London branch: www.cls.org.uk

08 457 90 90 90  -  www.samaritans.org.uk  -  Text: 07 725 90 90 90  -  jo@samaritans.org.uk

LONDON NIGHTLINE

Student volunteers offering telephone support

020 7631 0101  -  Skype: londonnightline  -  www.nightline.org.uk

THE MENTAL HEALTH FOUNDATION

www.mentalhealth.org.uk

MIND

Support, information, and lots of advice leaflets on their website

www.mind.org.uk  -  0300 123 3393

Eating distress & food problems

B-EAT

www.b-eat.co.uk

NATIONAL EATING DISORDERS ASSN

www.nationaleatingdisorders.org

Please do not hesitate to get in touch with one of us. We really do want to help.

Noise complaints

Since the beginning of this new term, I have become aware of a few noise complaints that in some cases have been an ongoing problem for several months, but have not be escalated to me to deal with, leaving the people suffering with noise now feeling very frustrated. It is possible that others find themselves in the same situation, so I am writing to remind you how to complain about noise. For I understand that noise can cause a lot of stress, anger, and sleeplessness, and I want to be able to help you with noise problems effectively.


Noise that could be fixed by building maintenance

If you are being troubled by a part of the building that makes noise (e.g. a pipe, a radiator, or a squeaky door). please report it in the maintenance book at reception. In most cases, it will be fixed within two working days. If it remains a problem after two working days, then email suggestions@conaught-hall.org.uk and it will be followed up at a higher level. 

Nocturnal noise from the courtyard garden or bar

The garden closes at 23.00. Except when we have a temporary event notice for a late party (not more than 6 times a year), there should never be anyone in the garden after 23.10, and no one in the bar after 23.30. Music from the bar should not audible in anyone’s bedroom after 23.00.

If you can hear noise from the bar or garden after 23.10, please phone reception (extension 8200) immediately and ask that the Duty Senior Member attends to deal with the noise. In addition, in the morning, email noise@connaught-hall.org.uk so I can look into why the garden and/or bar are not being closed at the proper time, and take corrective action. Send an email like this every time it happens. 

Noisy neighbours

The most common type of noise is that caused by other people. If your neighbours are making too much noise between 23.00 and 07.00, please follow the steps below:

1. If noise from your neighbour is a rare occurrence (i.e. once or twice a term) and if you feel able to do so, knock on your neighbour’s door and ask them to be quieter.
   
   a. If the problem is not resolved 10 minutes after you spoke with them, call reception on extension 8200.
   
   b. If anyone is ever rude to you when you ask them to be quieter, call reception immediately and ask that the Duty Senior Member attends right away.
   
   c. If you have to speak to your neighbour about noise more than once a month, it’s time to stop trying this approach and go straight to point 2 below.
   
   
2. If your neighbour is often noisy, or if you don’t feel able to speak with them yourself, please phone reception on extension 8200 and report the noise.
   
   a. If the problem is resolved within 10 minutes, enjoy a good night’s sleep and in the morning, email noise@connaught-hall.org.uk so that I can keep a record of what happened and when. In your email, tell us (i) what the noise was (voices, music, banging, etc); (ii) what time it was; (iii) what action you took. Send an email like this every time you ever have to call reception about noisy neighbours.
   
   b. If, 10 minutes after you called reception, it is still noisy, call again and this time ask that the Duty Senior Member attends to deal with the noise. Then, also send an email to noise@connaught-hall.org.uk giving the information listed in 2a above.
   
   
3. If you have to call reception more than once a week, then please contact me to arrange an appointment or come to one of my open office sessions to discuss the next steps. But be aware that it is almost impossible for me to take effective disciplinary action unless you have called reception - as per point 2 above – at least two or three times previously. 

Page 60 of the Residents’ Handbook (handbook.connaught-hall.org.uk) gives more advice about dealing with noise in Hall.

Ear plugs

I strongly recommend ear plugs for sleeping. They do not cancel out all noise, and they do still let your alarm clock wake you up. There will always be some noise in Hall – from traffic outside, people walking home after a night out, or banging doors along your corridor – that we cannot do anything about. Ear plugs can sometimes just help stop you from being woken up by these brief episodes of noise that otherwise might ruin your night’s sleep.

Could you be disturbing your neighbour(s)?
Our walls, floors, and ceilings are quite thin. It’s easy to cause noise for your neighbour without realising it. Please, whenever you are up after 23.00, think very carefully if what you are doing might be keeping your neighbour awake, especially if you have visitors in your room. The Residents’ Handbook gives this advice:

• Respect others’ needs for quiet time: they may want to sleep or study at different times from you. Being unable to sleep or work when you need to can make you annoyed and stressed, and can seriously impact on your quality of life. You do not want to inflict those feelings on your neighbours.
  
• Be polite and try to help if your neighbour knocks on your door and asks you to quieten down; next time it might be you asking for quiet!
  
• Agree on quiet times with your neighbours, and times when it might be ok to make a bit more noise (not between 11.00 pm and 7.00 am, when everyone must be quiet).
  
• Noise travels further than you think, so talk quietly in corridors; and don’t run or shout in hallways or stairwells.
  
• Remember the walls between rooms are thin; and the floors and ceilings transmit sound very easily (most noise complaints are about the room above or below). Please make a conscious effort to think about your neighbours if you have visitors in your room at night.
  
• Subwoofer speakers (with output in the 20-200 Hz range) are prohibited. If a subwoofer is found in your room after a noise complaint, it will be confiscated.
  
• Our doors are heavy and have closer mechanisms to comply with fire safety regulations; so they make a bang when they close. Please try to pull your door closed quietly and pull the handle down so the lock doesn’t click, especially at night so you don’t wake up your neighbours.
  
• In the garden keep noise down at all times: even a little noise here echoes around the courtyard and can disturb people in rear-facing bedrooms.
  
• Outside the front of the building, don’t shout late at night: you can wake up almost half the Hall whose bedrooms face onto the square.
  
• You must be quiet 11.00 pm to 7.00 am: no noise at all should be audible from outside your room between these times.

I hope some of this guidance is useful. As always, please talk to me if anything isn’t clear.

Away 10 - 21 January

I will be away until 21 January. Please contact the Hall Manager (in office hours) or Duty Senior Member (out of hours) via reception for help with anything you would normally contact me about. They can seek advice from the warden of another hall if required.

Please note that I will have limited internet access during this period, and will be unable to reply to emails and Facebook messages.

Management staff and Senior Members will still keep me updated about any serious developments while I am away.

Remember you can also write to:

• suggestions@connaught-hall.org.uk about any facilities or catering issues;
• committee@connaught-hall.org.uk about any social or bar issues;
• noise@connaught-hall.org.uk about noisy neighbours (but please read page 60 at handbook.connaught-hall.org.uk first!).

Medical problems in Hall

As many of you know, in addition to being your Warden at Connaught Hall, I am an accident & emergency doctor at University College Hospital. This often leads to residents asking me for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment here in Hall.

With two small exceptions, I do not provide a medical service for Connaught Hall residents.

It can perhaps be a bit confusing or disappointing for residents when I say I cannot help with their medical problems ("But, you are a doctor, aren't you?"). So I hope this blog post will help explain why in most cases I am unable to diagnose or treat medical problems in Hall.

First, those two exceptions:

1. I can help with minor first aid problems like bruises, cuts, and burns in the same way that a first-aid trained layperson can.

2. I will provide an enhanced level of care -- as a doctor -- in immediately life-threatening situations such as a very severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis).

I will not, however, take a proper medical history, perform a physical examination, take any tests, nor prescribe any drugs in my capacity as your Warden. I will be just as likely as any of the Senior Members to advise that you see your GP or attend hospital for proper medical attention.

This is why:

1. The University of London does not insure me to provide medical services. That means that if I make a mistake and you suffer harm as a result, you would not be able to claim compensation from an insurance policy - you could only claim against me personally, which unfortunately will not get you very much compensation!

2. A doctor cannot -- in most cases -- reach a safe, accurate diagnosis without performing a physical examination. But for me to do that would normally step over the line of acceptable physical contact between a Warden and a student resident. The University would not support me in doing that.

3. Furthermore, when I see patients in my hospital job, I have access to tests and diagnostic measures such as X-rays, ECGs,  and blood tests. It would be wrong for me to try and "guess" what is wrong with you without these tests.

4. In many cases when a doctor examines a patient, we will have a chaperone present for the protection of both the patient and the doctor. I do not have access to a chaperone in Hall.

5. Your GP has the benefit of access to your previous medical notes, which can be vitally important in making a correct diagnosis or deciding on the correct treatment plan. I do not have access to your medical history.

6. When you consult a doctor in hospital or a GP surgery, details of what happened will be recorded for future reference on your medical file. I cannot make entries in your medical notes from the Hall.

7. The General Medical Council requires that doctors in the UK must always keep contemporaneous medical records on every patient encounter, and communicate what happened in every encounter to the patient's primary care provider (usually their GP). I do not have the resources to do that in Hall, so I would be at risk of breaking my profession's rules of conduct.

Having said all of that, one last thing I can sometimes help with is in providing very broad, general advice about drugs you might have been prescribed by your doctor (i.e. how they work, how long it might take to get better, etc) or -- again -- broad and general information about medical conditions. But I must stress that I cannot provide private medical consultations in Hall.

Christmas dinner speech - 13 December 2013

It's only 11 weeks since I last stood up here and welcomed you to the Hall.

Yet already I see not 200-odd individual, slightly anxious school leavers in front of me now, but a community of -- mostly -- mature adults.

Three things -- friendship, respect, and celebration -- have enabled that transformation. And those three things -- friendship, respect, and celebration make a perfect theme for a Christmas speech. But this one will be mercifully short.

I hope the friendships that you're making here will help sustain you through the rest of your life.

I hope the respect you learn for your neighbours here will help you always to see things from others' perspective. For that is the foundation of the tolerance and forgiveness that our world so desperately needs.

And I hope the way we can celebrate so many diverse things together here will be a model that you can demonstrate to others when you are the ones teaching, managing, or leading.

But I know that studying at university and living away from home is not easy. This term has actually been a very busy one for me with welfare and pastoral issues. So I hope that all of us here can help to make this hall community a source of encouragement, strength, and support for those who are going through tough times. They need us to show them friendship, respect, and celebration.

But I'm missing one last thing that our community ought to show: thankfulness. Before I close, then, let's join together in saying a very big thank you to the people who put on so many of those celebrations: your Residents Club Committee. A big thank you to the catering staff who have worked incredibly hard today. And finally, a big thank you to all the people sitting around you for making this our home...

I wish every one of you safe journeys this holiday season and a wonderful Christmas and new year.

Merry Christmas everyone!