Blood, Sweat & Tea
Encyclopedia
Blood, Sweat & Tea is a book by ambulance technician Brian Kellett, writing under the pseudonym Tom Reynolds
, about life in the London Ambulance Service
.
The book is compiled from posts and correspondence from the blog Random Acts of Reality, one of the earliest high-readership blogs in England
. The book covers Reynolds's career from 2003–2006, and discusses his career as an emergency medical technician
and a rapid responder.
Although often extremely critical of NHS
policies and management, the book was extremely well received within the European emergency services, and the book (with its associated blog) is now cited in the NHS's own guidelines on staff blogging.
Unusually for a newly-published mainstream book, the entire text of the book was placed online under a Creative Commons Licence.
The book has also inspired the TV series Sirens
, which first aired in June 2011 on Channel 4
.
Tom Reynolds (EMT)
Tom Reynolds is the pseudonym of Brian Kellett, a nurse and once emergency medical technician for the London Ambulance Service, England, whose award winning...
, about life in the London Ambulance Service
London Ambulance Service
The London Ambulance Service NHS Trust is the largest "free at the point of contact" emergency ambulance service in the world. It responds to medical emergencies in Greater London, England, with the ambulances and other response vehicles and over 5,000 staff at its disposal.It is one of 12...
.
The book is compiled from posts and correspondence from the blog Random Acts of Reality, one of the earliest high-readership blogs in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The book covers Reynolds's career from 2003–2006, and discusses his career as an emergency medical technician
Emergency medical technician
Emergency Medical Technician or Ambulance Technician are terms used in some countries to denote a healthcare provider of emergency medical services...
and a rapid responder.
Although often extremely critical of NHS
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
policies and management, the book was extremely well received within the European emergency services, and the book (with its associated blog) is now cited in the NHS's own guidelines on staff blogging.
Unusually for a newly-published mainstream book, the entire text of the book was placed online under a Creative Commons Licence.
The book has also inspired the TV series Sirens
Sirens (UK TV series)
Sirens is a British comedy-drama about an ambulance service team broadcast on Channel 4. It was first screened on 27 June 2011.The series is based on the book Blood, Sweat & Tea by Brian Kellett. The series is filmed predominantly in Leeds with some filmed in the surrounding areas...
, which first aired in June 2011 on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
.