Life hacks in the UK

This post is about stuff I wish I had knew earlier when I started working in the UK.

WORK

The power of copy paste
When you request an investigation/ send an online referral for a patient, you basically type this up:
"This 60 year old gentleman presented with sudden onset headache at 0600 today when he woke up. It was frontal, throbbing and 10/10 in intensity. This did not resolve despite paracetamol and presented to the acute medical unit on advice of the out of hours GP. Kindly do a CT head urgently please to rule out subarachnoid hemorrhage"
You have essentially just typed up the clinical narrative for the discharge summary.
Now if you copy paste this and copy paste it in the clinical narrative, you would save yourself a lot of time when the CT head (which would be done within an hour) comes back to be normal, a lumbar puncture is done ( ideally after 12 hours of onset of symptoms) which is also normal and he has been seen by a consultant and deemed fit for discharge the same day.

Meeting the duty radiologist on call in person rather than calling
If you want to request an urgent radiological investigation, going to the radiologists office and talking to him/her about the rationale behind the investigation you wish to performed urgently can be very helpful because
1. Radiologists always like to talk to their doctors to understand why this test is so important. You will find that they will get to know you well after a few meetings and you have found yourself a very good source in the radiology department.
2. They teach a lot. They will access old images and go through the whole case with you too. So you will learn something new.

Other posts in this blog:
http://omarsguidelines.blogspot.com/

AT HOME

Want to enjoy the nice breeze at night but cannot open the door because of the annoying insects?
Get this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01C59OLSA/
This has stick on velcro which you can stick to the door frame. It does not ruin the frame ( especially metallic frames) and you then stick on the screen to the velcro. You can cut it to meet the dimensions. This screen has a slit in the middle through which you can walk in and out. And the 2 parts of the slit have magnets so it does not remain open.

Sick of the smell while cooking food ( especially spicy food)?
Get a scented candle and let it burn next to the cooker. Keep the oven hood on as soon as you start chopping raw materials. Open the windows of the other rooms.

Muslim shower
If you miss the Muslim showers which we have back in our home countries, this is an excellent replacement:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B075DD8LL1/
You can attach this adapter to any faucet:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0111KLHKE/
You can also use this to give your baby a mini shower.

Suction hooks
If you have tiles in your bathroom, you can hang the toilet shower using suction hooks:
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/search/products/?q=SUCTION%20HOOKS
You can also use these to hang your towels, etc.

Artificial plants
Sick of your live plants dying all the time? IKEA has amazing artificial plants and you can get nice pots with them as well.
You can get all sizes.
https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/decoration/plants-pots-stands/artificial-plants-flowers/

Cleaning
In this country, we have to everything on our own. Hence make it a routine to do your house cleaning at least once a week - I do it on a rainy day as I know I will not be going out. 
To clean bathrooms:
1. Get a dish washing brush 
2. Get a bathroom cleaning spray - flash is a good product ( avoid bleach as it will discolor your tiles) 
3. Put toilet bleach in the toilet 
4. Magic eraser is a good product to remove stubborn marks on in shower cabins, baths, etc 
5. Vacuum the whole house - use the brush extensions to clean and vacuum the skirtings, exhausts, any difficult areas to reach. 
6. It takes less than an hour to do everything. 

Want to get the fastest and most cost effective internet?
Search for your local towns Facebook groups and search for "internet" in those groups. If you find old posts, you can ask on your own as well. Every city has its own "best internet". For example, when I shifted to Slough, SKY was the fastest internet there. However it did not work very fast in Harrogate. When I moved to York, I got EE which is extremely fast.

Need space in your wardrobe for more clothes? 
You can also use this in windows to hang curtains.

Sick of studying on a chair and table?

Replacement of roti/ chapati.
This is a reasonable replacement for rotis and chapatis:
https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/gb/groceries/sainsburys-plain-folded-flatbread-x6
You can get these at ASDA, Morrisons and other stores as well. These are less oily than naans.
I cut them into half, put them in a baking tray and use a water spray to moisten them a bit. Then I put them in the oven. This way they are crisp but not too brittle.

Can't cook for very long?
Use recipe sauces - You can get these sauces for everything- all curries, lasagne, pasta dishes. It will not taste that good ( especially the curry sauces) but you can prepare a meal quickly. 

Just eat/deliveroo
Not in the mood of making food but do not want to go out? These are good delivery services which also deliver Mcdonald's, KFC, Burger King, etc.

Can't have tap water ( due to sensitivity to minerals in it) and cannot carry bottled water every weekend from the grocery store?
Get a water filter jug

GOING OUT

Strong windproof umbrella
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00VVN1IPQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Sick of your trousers getting wet in a rainstorm?
Get this:
https://www.sportsdirect.com/mens/mens-waterproof-trousers
I got a waterproof trouser for 20 GBP ( in store sale ) which has zips on both legs making it easier to wear these over my work trousers.

Sick of uncomfortable/ slightly bigger shoes?
Get insoles. Scholl has the most comfortable ones. These are available at Boots and every grocery store.
https://www.scholl.co.uk/collections/insoles

Sick of your nice sneakers getting muddy whenever you go to the countryside?
Get a pair of wellies and keep them in a sturdy bag in your car:
https://www.sportsdirect.com/mens/mens-wellies
Change into these when you go to explore the beautiful countryside.

 Parking
Safe and cheap parking do not always go hand in hand. However there are nice car parks with shopping malls and are in the city center. So check on Google first before leaving and find the best place to park.
Pay and display parking lots are safe as well however be aware that they may close early especially on weekends.
This is a helpful website:
https://en.parkopedia.com/

SHOPPING 

Having difficulty carrying 6 bags of grocery?
Get these:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Favofit-Aluminium-Carabiners-Backpacking-Non-locking/dp/B07HM94K4N/
You can latch your shopping bags into these carabiner hooks and even hang them from your baby's stroller.


I will keep updating this list with time. If you have any useful tips, do comment on this post with a link.












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