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Auntie Version - MSKMag's Agony Aunt - August 2026 · MSKMag OutLoud

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: Aunty Version, mskmag's Agony Aunt, August 2026.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Written by Joe Turner.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: Sponsored by Medimo.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: Payburg Patient, not per click, the easiest way to get new patients.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: Just go to medimo.co.uk forward slash physio hyphen matters.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: Hello, I'm Aunty Version,
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: aka Joe Turner, and I am unbelievably excited to be mskmag's very own Agony Aunt.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: Oh,
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: the arrogance in my assumption that I have any wisdom to impart about your life and
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  SPEAKER_00: the irony that much of my advice will employ you to resist that clinician's urge
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: to fix and advise.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Nevertheless,
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  SPEAKER_00: I do hope you'll find this column informative,
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  SPEAKER_00: thought-provoking,
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  SPEAKER_00: occasionally amusing,
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: and that you'll find some helpful tips amongst my best guesses and opinions.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: Dear auntie version, it's bloody hot.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: Where I work in a clinic in southern England, it has been sweltering this past week.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Other than the odd minute to stand in front of a fan between patients, there is not much relief.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: My employer seems to be of the opinion that there is no legal temperature limit
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: when it comes to safe working and that we just need to get on with it.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: Is there anything I can do?
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: Sweaty Betty.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: Hi Sweaty Betty.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: Whilst I'm no expert,
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: a quick search on gov.uk confirms there is no guidance for
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: a maximum temperature limit, just the following not very helpful statement.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: During working hours, the temperature in all indoor workplaces must be reasonable.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: It's fair to say that Last week's heat wave was especially challenging with
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: the added effect of extreme humidity.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: To me, it felt like a reality check.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: You say your employer seems to be of the opinion that,
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: as there is no legal temperature limit,
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: we need to just get on with it,
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: giving them the benefit of the doubt I think a lot
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  SPEAKER_00: of businesses felt caught out last week.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: Many came to the realization this is no longer a once in a summer event to just get
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: through, but something we are going to have to find longer term solutions for.
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  SPEAKER_00: Without knowing your boss,
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  SPEAKER_00: in which case feel free to disregard,
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  SPEAKER_00: it is possible that they are not sure of yet the correct course of action
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  SPEAKER_00: and it's making them a bit defensive.
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  SPEAKER_00: I wonder if it would be helpful for you and your colleagues to sit down and chat
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  SPEAKER_00: through with them what constitutes a reasonable level of comfort and what
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: the options might be to achieve that.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: We're all in new territory here.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure anyone has the answers yet.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: Surely, the more ideas that can be brought into the mix, the better.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: Dear Aunty Version,
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm a sole practitioner in my own physio clinic and getting very tired of working
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: for underpaying private insurance providers.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: However,
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm finding it hard to bite the bullet and quit them as surely
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: a filled slot is better than doing nothing, right?
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: To leave or not to leave.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: Dear, to leave or not to leave.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: Sounds like the real question isn't the one in your sign-off,
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: but whether or not a filled slot is better than nothing.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: There are different factors at play here.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: From a purely financial perspective,
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  SPEAKER_00: it's true that a smaller amount of money coming You could argue that
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: the insurance patient is blocking a space that could be taken by
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: a higher-paying independent client.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: Could you use the marketing for more of your ideal clients?
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: Or developing a new service.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: Or maybe an exciting new side hustle.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: It also depends on how you feel about working for a lower fee than your advertised rates.
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  SPEAKER_00: It might not bother you at all.
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  SPEAKER_00: Money is money after all.
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  SPEAKER_00: But it might feel like it's trampling on a boundary around what constitutes fair pay
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  SPEAKER_00: for your work.
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  SPEAKER_00: It might feel like you're working for an organisation who doesn't value your skills
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: or profession.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: There are no right answers to these questions, but they will probably inform your decision.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: Anti-version.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: Dear AuntyVersion,
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: I started up a World Cup sweepstake at the start of the tournament for my team
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: where everyone predicts results and you get points for predicting the right outcome
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  SPEAKER_00: and more points for guessing the exact score.
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  SPEAKER_00: Top 3 win a cash prize.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: The only problem is I'm faring miserably and my reactions
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  SPEAKER_00: to my colleagues' success suggest I may have become over-invested in
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: the competition.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: Said colleagues include one who knows nothing about football and just inserted
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  SPEAKER_00: a random allocation of zeros and ones as scorelines.
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  SPEAKER_00: One who stopped participating at the end of the group stage and most annoyingly, Jack March.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: How can I claw back some pride?
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: Jack Ch- I mean, Anonymous.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: Hello, Anonymous.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: Firstly, commiserations on your miserable performance.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: You're clearly a dedicated fan and I can hear how annoying it is
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  SPEAKER_00: that your colleagues seem to be doing
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  SPEAKER_00: so much better despite being completely uninformed about the sport you hold dear.
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  SPEAKER_00: Or are they actually uninformed?
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  SPEAKER_00: This is a clear sign of the random nature of human beings playing sport
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: with all their nerves,
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  SPEAKER_00: their overconfidence,
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  SPEAKER_00: unfamiliar environments and climates,
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  SPEAKER_00: not to mention bodies trying to perform within ridiculously tiny tolerances.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think you're over invested, I just think you're a fairly typical physio.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: Whilst not wanting to generalise, we're a competitive bunch, aren't we?
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  SPEAKER_00: Ask any member of our admin team who's attended a clinic quiz night or anything involving sport.
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  SPEAKER_00: Enjoy the game,
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  SPEAKER_00: enjoy some pantomime disdain for your colleagues' undeserved success,
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: and then maybe you can be happy for them.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm reminded of something a friend once said.
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  SPEAKER_00: If you're not feeling like you can be overjoyed for your friend who is enjoying
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: a wonderful sunny two-week holiday, then maybe stay off Facebook today.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: Auntie version.