The government has announced that it will recruit retired doctors to help combat the anticipated coronavirus pandemic. Chris Nancollas, a former GP, is awaiting the call with excitement and apprehension

A philosophy common to retired GPs, indeed retired workers of all kinds, is that, if pushed, we could slot straight back into our old jobs. We believe that our skills, though dormant, remain intact, and although we might be a bit rusty we could still fulfil our primary function of diagnosis and treatment.

That philosophy (some would say delusion) is about to be put to the test, as the government has announced that recruiting retired doctors and nurses is part of its action plan to combat the anticipated coronavirus pandemic. As the worst-case scenario has up to 40 million people in the UK contracting the virus, which would include large numbers of health-care workers, it would seem logical to draw on whatever expertise was available, however antiquated.