Dr Benedict Oyelaran
occupational psychologist
Systemic thinker; blames rotas before people
Under Pressure
Isla wonders whether exhaustion is changing her judgement. Her hospital wants a quick fix; she discovers the problem is partly hers and partly the system’s, and that speaking up has costs of its own.
Planned · not started yet
Psychology & mental health Living with uncertainty Hard choices Ethics & integrity Hospital or clinic Workplace Tense Reflective
The premise
Isla wonders whether exhaustion is changing her judgement. Her hospital wants a quick fix; she discovers the problem is partly hers and partly the system’s, and that speaking up has costs of its own.
The protagonist
Dr Isla Fernhough — Fourth-year surgical trainee after a near-miss in theatre
The council
Every council member is an original fictional character. None represents, quotes or is endorsed by a real person.
Prof. Hanne Ruud
decision scientist
Precise about how tired brains cut corners
Mr Callum Daventry
senior surgeon
Old-school; changes his mind and admits it
How the story moves
A near-miss inquiry runs through the series; Isla’s career and health are both at stake, and the inquiry’s findings change the whole department.
What readers take away
- The stress response and performance
- Burnout: definition and evidence
- Fatigue and error
- Checklists and human-factors design
- Speaking up and psychological safety
- Organisational versus individual interventions
- Professional help-seeking
- Returning to work after burnout
- Use a structured handover
- Apply a simple fatigue risk assessment
- Recognise moral injury
- Find confidential support services for clinicians
The books
- 1The near-miss Planned
- 2The rota Planned
- 3Speaking up Planned
- 4The inquiry Planned
- 5Choosing Planned
Book titles are working titles and may change before publication. No book is on sale until the complete series is finished, checked and released.