More Blood, More Sweat and Another Cup of Tea

Blood, Sweat and Tea #2

by Tom Reynolds

Tom Reynolds is an ambulance worker. On any given day he can be attacked by strangers, sworn at by motorists, puked on, covered in blood, and other much more unpleasant substances. He could help to deliver a baby in the morning and witness the last moments of a dying man in the afternoon. He deals with road accidents, knife attacks, domestic violence, drug overdoses, neglect, and suffering. Tom blogs about his experiences at the end of each shift. His Random Acts of Reality website has a huge following with more than 30,000 visitors every day. Here, Tom charts the past two years of his life as an ambulance worker. He is tired, he is frustrated, and he is more pissed off than ever but he still manages to capture the more moving, heartwarming, and inspirational moments alongside the chaos.

Genres: Nonfiction, Medical, Biography, Medicine, Memoir, Ebooks, Humor

270 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2009

About the author

Tom Reynolds is the pseudonym of Brian Kellett, an emergency medical technician for the London Ambulance Service, England, whose award winning blog, Random Acts of Reality, has been published in two books, Blood, Sweat & Tea in 2006 and More Blood, More Sweat & Another Cup of Tea in 2009. His career in the NHS started at the age of 23 when he worked as an Accident and Emergency nurse. Since beginning his blog he has been interviewed in newspapers, television and radio; and now provides opinion pieces on medical care in some UK newspapers.

Reviews

[Angela Auten · Rating 5 out of 5]

More Blood, More Sweat, and Another Cup of Tea Review

Book Rating: 5 stars out of 5.

I really enjoyed reading more of Brian Kellet's blog about working on the ambulance. I actually read this to get more information about what it's like. I always was interested in medical practices as my last review has stated. Sometimes people call for ridiculous things. Other times when ambulances are called they are for more serious cases. That was told throughout this whole book. I really enjoyed reading it. Some of the blogs were pretty humorous. I really needed that. Just learning about more medical terms is great. I knew what he was talking about most of the time. I really wish there was more to glean from this book series, but sadly he hasn't written anything else for this series. I'm glad that I was able to enjoy them. I would love for others to read this so you can understand what ambulance workers go through.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setting: London, UK.
An interesting and informative memoir from a London Ambulance Service worker, detailing the calls that they attend, the many problems that they face and some possible answers to address what is a service that is becoming completely overwhelmed by the pressing 'needs' of Government targets and lack of funding and resources.
It is all very well to increase funding to provide more staff but not much good if you don't then provide more vehicles for them to use to attend casualties - when the number of ambulances is the same as 15 years ago but call volumes have increased by over 20%, something has got to give. Also, the public needs to be more aware of when they should and shouldn't call an ambulance and staff should be able to 'refuse attendance' in cases where the caller is simply not in need of an ambulance. Very thought-provoking but also makes you despair sometimes as to how the service can continue to function despite the best efforts of its dedicated staff - 8.5/10.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having originally followed the authors, now defunct, blog for some years I was aware of his other literary endeavours but had long forgotten to pick up a copy until a recent recommendation.

The book, a follow up to Blood, Sweat and Tea, is a collection of blog entries by Tom Reynolds charting his time as an EMT with London Ambulance Service.

The former nurse holds no punches as he details the highs and lows of his time on the ambulance, in a job that can see him bringing a new life into the world at the start of a shift and seeing another leave this world at the end.

Tom’s stories are often humorous, in a clear simple style you would expect of someone who works in the East End of London. However, you also experience a whole kaleidoscope emotions as the author shares details of his exposure to physical and verbal abuse, the critically ill, drug users and alcoholics who have become regular users of the service.

If gore isn’t your thing don’t be put off, the book is far from graphic yet clearly describes each situation in layman’s terms whilst allowing the medical professional to share the experience in equal measure.

As some of the stories are about those who are often deep within their darkest moments, perhaps to say it was an enjoyable read isn’t appropriate but that said it is a thoroughly good book and I would recommend it to anyone looking for something a little different to read, has an interest in medical matters, fly on the wall documentaries or sociology students as on a subconscious level I’m sure More Blood, More Sweat and Another cup of Tea charts the beginnings of societies downward spiral.

Alas Tom’s blog, that this book is based, is no longer active and he no longer works for the Ambulance Service having returned to nursing.

[Larissa Ione · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading now on my Kindle...it's free from Amazon. If you're interested in paramedicine, this is a fascinating book. It's a series of blog posts taken from his blog and put into a book, but it's still an interesting view of paramedics working in London.

Update: Finished it! Really good...at times gritty, depressing, and infuriating (how people abuse the EMS system and get away with it,) and at times amusing and touching. I've always had a lot of respect for those in the medical field, but seriously, they aren't paid enough to deal with the things they see on a daily basis...

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes it felt a little disconnected, like a scenario would start as though he was trying to make a point about a certain topic and then tail off. I think with this sort of job you get so used to seeing the strange things you forget that other people aren't used to it, or are still interested in hearing about it - I felt the first book was more enjoyable perhaps as a result.

[Nick Davies · Rating 2 out of 5]

An easy read, but I soon became aware that when I recognised the title of and downloaded this book I'd perhaps expected this to be a follow-up to Adam Kay's 'This Is Going To Hurt' (as opposed to.. um.. the book by Tom Reynolds with a very similar title which I'd also read) but that it wasn't another book about being a junior doctor, it was another book about being an ambulance driver / EMT.

It was OK, but less interesting than the previous book in the same series - the e-book format was full of formatting errors which detracted, the blog style gave it a style that felt like too many chapters in too little detail, and in truth it felt repetitive and the author felt like he was banging the same drum (justifiably, but repeatedly) again and again. So, this was disappointing.

[Abigail Burrows · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved every single story! I want to be a paramedic now.

[Anthony Eaton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books which has been lifted straight from a blog, and I'll admit from the get-go that I have a mixed relationship with them. It is, by the nature of the beast, not so much a story as a fragmented series of snippets, each individual one a glance into the life of the blogger and his world, and there's a part of me that quite likes the convenience of being able to just dip here and there into a book, without having to remain constantly engaged with the narrative.

On the other hand, I also find myself asking, why does it need to be a book? Surely if people like it that much they can just read his blog? It's not like there's anything at all new here.

Reynolds himself comes across as an odd character, a combination of compellingly human and sometimes irritatingly judgemental and detached. That said, he's doing one of the most difficult and soul-challenging jobs on the planet and there's no way you could be in his position and not have to make some serious emotional and mental adjustments to yourself. And yet, in terms of the way this book reads, it's sometimes very difficult to accept the idea that what you're reading hasn't been written for some higher agenda.

And perhaps that's my problem with this (and other, similar blog-books): while the insight Reynolds provides into various aspects of life in England under the NHS is interesting, and the human elements of his stories are engaging and compelling, the moment that you bind all Reynold's disparate and often spur-of-the-moment thoughts together into a single volume, it's impossible not to start questioning his motivations for writing and publishing and that, for me at least, is the key difference between a blog and a book. Read as a series of sporadic blog entries in a feed-reader, I'm not sure I'd have nearly the same issues that I have with this when read 'as a book'.

I dunno. Perhaps it's just me. Certainly Reynolds provides a glimpse into a life and a world that for most of us will remain a mystery, and certainly he and his colleagues are to be admired for the work they do and the manner in which they do it.

But still,

Why does it need to be a book?

[Lör K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Written on mobile; apologies for any mistakes]

Tom Reynolds returns with another wonderful instalment in the Blood, Sweat and Tea series with More Blood, More Sweat, and Another Cup of Tea. I read this back in 2012, two years after release and haven't read it since due to it no longer being free on the Kindle Store.

Reynolds is a paramedic, and he releases another book of cases he's seen, things that irk paramedics, and what to do in emergency situations.

This is the exact same as the first book that Reynolds released, and from what memory serves, it's not as gripping. None of the cases in this are as memorable, and I can't remember any of them, unfortunately.

The writing in this seemed simpler than the first book, which is strange for a series of any genre. It's a disappointment when this happens, truly, but this was still a good read for me.

Why?

Because it allowed me to look into the life of a paramedic, into what they go through and it's something I've always wanted, and always wanted more of since I read Blood, Sweat and Tea.
I was able to further enhance my medical knowledge and also to understand more what to do in certain situations.

Information from this book will stay with me for the rest of my life and, luckily I won't need it, but may just help someone to stay alive.

A definite recommendation of medical non fiction from me.

[Heidi | Paper Safari Book Blog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories from his blog, Tom writes about his experiences working on an ambulance in London. He isn't too keen on General Practitioners (GP's) or those who don't seem to care about their patients after they have called the ambulance and his mood doesn't improve when he gets called to help people who are just too lazy to call for a cab. He is not thrilled with the state of the system he works within and believes (and I have to agree) that those who use the ambulance as a taxi service should have to pay instead of the taxpayers whose money supports the ambulance service. It sounds like he is very down on his job but its exactly the opposite. I think he loves what he does, and believes that the people deserve more. Ambulances that don't show up for way too long because there aren't enough, or are out on bogus calls, and equipment that just isn't available and should be are some of the things he hopes to remedy. Maybe the government should read his book and take a look at their system.

Often written as humorous anecdotes, Reynolds short snippets inside the life of an ambulance worker are inspiring as well as sad.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite an enjoyable read. Do note that the book is a collection of blog post-length chapters/sections that are lately unrelated. I've read the website for years but didn't feel like I was re-reading the same content, possibly these stories were unpublished or before my time subscribing the site.

I found it interesting to see how a job totally unrelated to mine worked in a country totally unrelated to the one which I live. Would be fascinated to see what an Australian Paramedic would write about.

Overall an enjoyable before bed book, short sections meant I was less likely to stop in the middle of a chapter or stay up much later than planned to finish a long chapter.

[Russ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author is an ambulance driver in London and the book chronicles his day-to-day experiences. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's a little gruesome. Many of the events involve the very poor, or very old, people whose only contact with the outside world is with the ambulance service.

If these stories happened in the United States, most of them would end with the patient being kicked out of the emergency room because they couldn't afford to pay for the care they required. Since they happen in England, there is a safety net and usually (not always) the chance for a happy ending.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm mixed about this one. The style is either straightforward, or overly simple (depending on your viewpoint); the writing is obviously adapted from a blog, which makes it ideal for a few minutes here and there; the stories are balanced so you don't come away wondering what idiot puts themself through that all the time, but are also slightly repetitive.

I enjoyed reading it, and I definitely got an insight into the life of an ambulance driver, but it might be slightly annoying in actual book form.

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the first one, couldn't wait to read the second. I do agree with all of Mr Reynolds opinions about drunk people and people who abuse of the ambulance service, and although I, too, watch some medical drama on tv I prefer his stories from real life.
The anecdotes seem endless, but you'll soon discover a pattern of good jobs and bad jobs, with total idiots popping up every few pages. Whoever worked with the general public knows the feeling , but Reynolds and his partners have a really demanding job. And they're doing it quite well.

[Teresa Mercer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another belting book

This is the second book I have read by Tom. They are both brilliant. Each entry will make you laugh, cry and get a little bit angry, usually all at the same time.
People like Tom aka Brian are a true credit to our health service.
Very much from a British perspective and the dark humor reflects that.

[Blake Petit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, this collection of vignettes in the life of a London ambulance driver is a fast, entertaining and ultimately uplifting read. It's not like any other book I'm familiar with, but it's highly entertaining and well worth your time.

[Marty · Rating 3 out of 5]

i like real life things and i enjoyed this book of short pieces about his ambulance job from his blog. It is always nice to read about a professional and see things from their viewpoint.

[George Angus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. I was a paramedic in LA for a number of years and I can tell you that the author's take is spot on

[Paul Steele · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of blog posts... to bad it still read that way when brought to printed form.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Reynolds first book about his experiences as an EMT working for the London Ambulance Service, though I recall noting that it lacked any sense of flow or continuity because it was mostly just a compilation of entries from his blog. This book suffers from the same sense of disconnectedness, which bothered me more this time, perhaps because I am many years further removed from my own experiences in the emergency services. I also noted a few spots that could have benefited from a slightly more assertive editor. Even so, I did enjoy this book on the whole. It provides a glimpse into what it is like to be a responder in a busy area like London. Perhaps the books greatest strength is the details it provides with respect to the everyday, routine calls. Because it was originally written as a blog, these accounts were fresh in the author's mind when written, and include a lot of details that are often missing from more traditional, retrospective memoirs, where the details of these routine calls blur together and are generally omitted in favor of the more memorable incidents. As a result, this book is probably a more accurate portrayal of the day-to-day experiences of an EMT.

[Tanwen Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the first book by Reynolds, but felt that this sequel was a slightly different animal. While there was the same number of amusing and touching stories to keep me reading, it was much harder to keep going because of the constant through line about the failing NHS. It was like you could see the LAS falling apart more with every page and Reynolds growing increasingly despairing at it, a point that all the more hit home by his last comment of the book being along the lines of 'I don't know how much longer I can do this'. In the previous book, Reynolds humour manages to balance out the darker and sadder side of ambulance work but here the dire state of the NHS cast too heavy a shadow, which I think was sort of the point.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable and honest look at the life an ambulance EMT in London, taken from his blog. It is an indictment of the British NHS and its bureaucracy and the erosive effects of privatization. It is a look at the problems afflicting the poor and the elderly. And it is a reminder of the thankless work by so many people that make a little bit of the world that much better for all of us.

I was glad to get a chance to read this. The structure of the book made it easy for me because I could pick it up and put it down again at will. With all the things I am juggling right now that was appreciated.

[Kb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second of two books by the same author, a member of the London Ambulance Service writing about his experiences on the job. I needed this as a palate-cleanser after reading “A Thousand Naked Strangers”, a purportedly similar book written by an American. I highly recommend the British versions, where a “good call” involves being able to help someone.

This book contains descriptions of calls that are heartwarming, eye-opening, exasperating, upsetting, poignant, and downright sweet (rescuing a cat from the results of a house fire and taking it in the ambulance to an emergency vet hospital has to be my ultimate favourite chapter in the book).

Recommended

[Robert Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

-A very interesting look at the healthcare system in England thru the eyes of an EMT driver of the London Ambulance System in the form of his internet blogs. I thought that it would be boring, but that definitely was not so. Exposed are large faults in the system, but also the joy of being to help people that really need it. If you are caught up with health insurance, aging, or one or more chronic diseases this is a must read. I might add family members of that type person or addicts.-

[Mary Humphreys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Experience of a nurse & retired midwife

Having trained as a nurse at the London Hospital I am very familiar with the area Tom described & having been a midwife in Kent, have nothing but admiration for the ambulance service. Good & enjoyable read.

[Bekah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, sad, thought provoking and completely real! If you've ever wanted to know what sorts of jobs the ambulance service deals with then read this book, I think some of you may be shocked and even disgusted at times!

[Dominic Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some decent stories and moments of questionable patient ethics. But overall a nice insight into the paramedic life in London.
Nice balance of medical detail for those who understand and appreciate the detail and those who don’t.

[Susan Schnackenberg]

Light reading with little to learn from story.

Most interesting was comparing colorful comments which are different from those used in America. Very little new but thanks for writing.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think everyone should read these books by Tom! You learn so much about our ambulance service and the amazing things that they do in the UK, we are very lucky. Thanks Tom!

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet more interesting ambulance adventures! Like "Sirens," the page count seemed extreme for the number of adventures recounted.