8.8 Biography Before Biology: Professor Sir Gregor Smith and Critical Connections

Is healthcare becoming too much like a repair shop?

In this episode, we are joined by Professor Sir Gregor Smith, Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, for a wide-ranging conversation on 10 years of Realistic Medicine and the themes explored in his latest report, Critical Connections.

Together we explore the need to create a better balance between biography and biology when practicing evidence based medicine. We discuss why meaningful human connection matters so profoundly to health, and how modern healthcare risks drifting into “transactional industrial care.”

The discussion ranges from prevention and sustainability to polypharmacy, de-prescribing and the challenge of measuring what truly matters through PROMs (Patient-Reported Outcome Measures) and PREMs (Patient-Reported Experience Measures).

Gregor reflects on the formative experiences that shaped his thinking as a GP, the development of Scotland’s polypharmacy guidance, and why Realistic Medicine was always intended as a grassroots movement rather than a top-down programme.This is a conversation about careful and kind care — and what it would take to build health systems that genuinely help people live well.

We discuss in detail Gregor's own report ‘Realistic Medicine - Critical Connections’. It is one of the most insightful and important papers we have ever read and is a must-read for our listeners!https://www.gov.scot/publications/chief-medical-officers-annual-report-2024-2025-realistic-medicine-critical-connections/

As with all of our guests, Gregor shares with us his Memory Evoking Medicine, a career anthem and book. Another appearance by a popular author, a song choice with a story and a drug that takes us right back to the very formation of the podcast!

Gimmo commits podultary! Listen to his appearance on the excellent ‘Knowing You’ podcast with friend of the show Sarah Cripps on all major podcast platforms: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sarahcripps_leadership-qualityimprovement-mentalhealth-share-7442815050563809280-nDgR 

Link to “ Thinking Critically About AI Lectures”  by Jessica Morley https://youtu.be/03bJ8BcYs1c?si=j9eHuCWVJEng7cO1

From Prescription to Ocean — A TEDx Talk by Jamie HayesWe’re incredibly proud to share that Aural Apothecary co-host Jamie Hayes has taken to the TEDx stage with a thought-provoking talk:  Prescription to Ocean: The Hidden Impact of Medicineshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swCLNaAG5qYJamie explores a fascinating and urgent question: What happens to our medicines once they leave the prescription pad — and how do they impact the world beyond the patient? It’s a journey that connects healthcare, the environment, and our shared responsibility for the future. You’ll never think about prescribing (or taking) medicines in quite the same way again.Please take a few minutes to watch, reflect, and share — this is a conversation worth having.

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You can listen to the Aural Apothecary playlist here; https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3OsWj4w8sxsvuwR9zMXgn5?si=tiHXrQI7QsGtSQwPyz1KBg 

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