Is anyone else hating their NHS life?

[hayfeverhellish]

NHS during covid was awful, obviously. But I think we were running on adrenaline but the ‘recovery phase’ is something else.

I’m in therapies so we are never thought about - it’s all cancer screening, operations and bed days that matter. But we are the people that get patients back on their feet, eating, talking and looking after themselves.

Currently, half of us have been forced to work at home with ‘virtual appointments’ (which doesn’t work for a lot of the patients and the tech is crap) and basically forgotten about in the new struggle for rooms / staff / PPE to restart services.

Everyone is tired, arguing over rooms and services, loads of people on long term sick with stress, unpaid leave due to lack of space in schools, and now we have to wear masks ALL. THE. TIME.

I could cry at the thought of Monday. The job I loved seems to have left the building and the patients are suffering

Just me?

[raviolidreaming]

I'll join you on that bench. I'm entirely fed up.

[Incrediblytired]

Yup. I am sooooo jealous of the furloughed

[Four4me]

I'll join too hayfever et al

Big hugs.
I'm a physio at a private hospital, we've being NHS since the end of March.
Luckily I only work part time, on Monday this week what/where I was working for my shift on Tuesday changed 4 times.

In all the planning of returned elective orthopaedic surgery, we've had to constantly remind the SLT about the importance of physio for these patients and just popping in to drop off some crutches/ortho boots at the closed ward door to the nurses isn't good enough patient care.

I find remote/video consultations so horrible! And the masks!!!!! 😩

We are all in it together 💪🏻 keep going love.

[Mum2jenny]

The masks are the killer imo. Totally too late and what is the point? To make it look good, or to save us when the tracking completely nighhilates a dept? I’m guessing my spelling is crap tho!

[ifonly4]

My DD had an emergency operation yesterday. She had a nurse whose just finish working on Covid wards sat with her for an hour while she was in recovery, said they were chatting throughout the whole thing as DD wanted something to focus on rather than feeling groggy. Just wanted to say I totally appreciate everything you've all done to support people, and you still keep going, supporting, caring, being patient.

[ScrapThatThen]

I hate that I can't see patients face to face and my trust will be really slow to allow it. And the fact that I will have to wear a mask all day on my one day a week in the office (still not seeing patients face to face). I suppose at least I will be able to take it off while I video call them if I find a room on my own.

[SpeedofaSloth]

I suspect the masks are about track and trace, too. Last Friday Matt Hancock's press release said no masks would be required in covid-secure areas of hospitals. Then yesterday, that's gone.

[GravityFalls]

I’m a teacher, not NHS, but you have my total sympathy - I feel like all the good parts of my job have gone (or been whittled down to a tiny amount) and instead I’m stuck with all the tedious, boring, political, rubbish bits without even the same camaraderie and fun at work I used to have. It must be really hard for you all

[Fluffymulletstyle]

I'm a therapist working in NHS hospital. The masks at all times on Monday make me feel sad too. It's 3 months too late ffs and feels like another nail in the coffin for staff morale. It's one thing in a clinical area, but in a staff office....

My role hasn't changed greatly as I'm mainly I patient based but we have used video calls for follow up from discharge home which I despise!

[Mum2jenny]

It’s all about trace and trace. My hospital was quite open about it. If we are wearing a mask we are ok as it is ppe so no issues!!!!

[ChasingRainbows19]

Yep it's about test and trace if we have to isolate and have sat next to someone without ppe they will have to isolate to and so on....
Hate masks, hate PPE. We now have to wear masks through general corridors too. My ears hurt, my face is sore and I get phantom mask feelings hours after taking them off.

I work in a therapeutic role and although never crazy busy with covid. Elements have changed and that was hard. It's stressful working in the NHS anyway and we had a tough winter. I'm tired and can't see the end of the tunnel at times.

[Spottyspottyladybird]

I agree... luckily we are starting to get back to some sense of normal where I work in inpatients but in outpatients where I spend half my week I feel like I'm offering offering a not so great service and I just feel for my patients. . So many of then are on "hold" just waiting.. until when? And I also am struggling with the masks and the video calling.. I can sympathise with all the answers so far.

[SwayingInTime]

I do hot, sweaty, physical work which relies on loads of talking at the same time. I am already struggling so much with the constant mask wearing for all patient contact that I am dreading Monday. Due to the constant sickness I know there'll be no capacity for us to have an extra 10mins here and there to take them off in private.

[Nartl0ngNow]

Yes.
And to top it off, there's temporary changes to accessing medical records (which will be reviewed in September) thanks to covid so the privacy to staff sickness seems to be very blurred within work.
doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m2293

[Bloatstoat]

I work in Stroke rehab, totally agree about the masks, on my shift today I was enjoying my final mask free office time and walk down the corridor. Talking on the phone is going to be a nightmare in a mask, trust advice is very clear we must have them on at all times unless eating during a break. I already find rapport with patients is much reduced in a mask. Interested to hear how people are finding video appointments, I'm tasked with setting them up for our service now we're all available and not running on a skeleton staff while providing cover elsewhere.

[Canklesforankles]

The video calling is doing me in. And the phone calls with ill and distressed patients crying as they can’t do what matters to them and I’m helpless really. Inpatients asking me to take off my mask. Horrible.

This isn’t a recovery phase (critical incident should be anticipation, action, recovery) it’s another anticipation phase. As you say op everyone is exhausted and crabby. Like everyone else we can’t see family and friends like we’d like to. In fact I don’t want to see any vulnerable family in case I pass Covid to them.

3 months into the pandemic, suddenly we are required to socially distance because of track and trace. Yet now and In the peak we had to use thin plastic aprons for ppe.

[Bluetrews25]

I hear you, and totally agree it's all about track and trace so we don't all go off for 2 weeks and leave no team.
So many mixed messages throughout.... this PPE.....no, this PPE......no this PPE....NHS staff are exempt from track and trace......no they aren't....wear masks at all times when we should have done it 3 months ago. FML.
Physio in ED and acute medicals.
We are all hitting a wall when it comes to energy and how much we have left to give, just in time for when our admission rate for fallers (our usual customers) is getting back to normal levels.
But let's all wear masks all the time, yeah, whatever. Interested to see what my 2 washable reuseable ones look like WHEN they get here.
Just thankful I have a lovely work family. So thankfully not completely hating it. Yet.

[pandafunfactory]

I'm knackered too. Nhs manager and dreading masks, I can't see my frigging computer screen properly because I can see the mask on my nose. The workload is awful, so much to sort out. Thanks goodness I can still skip the Waitrose queue. Hate doing that but would hate queuing more after a week at work.

[whydoesitalwayshappentome]

Me and my colleagues are exhausted. Crisis Pathway mental health telephone line. Ridiculously busy all the time, short staffed, and now masks on all the time from Monday. Phone calls are difficult enough already without adding masks to the mix. Dreading it.

[hayfeverhellish]

I'm weirdly glad it's not just me. I can't stand any of it any more.

We just can't do diagnostic and rehab assessments and therapy over a video call. It's unsafe but all we can offer. In doing so then leaves us vulnerable to being told we can just 'do it at home' to free up our usual space for other people and never to return. Our referrals are going through the roof and we can't actually help any one.

I work a cross clinics rooms and wards so rushing around all over the place and knowing on Monday I have to wear a mask all of the time, never drink, talk and breathe properly etc. I just can't do it anymore. I know this is the end of social distancing in offices so they can cram us into converted toilet rooms as offices etc.

And I get really pissed off at everyone with masks on pulling them to talk, hanging off 1 ear, being held in their hands etc. If we have to wear them, at least do it bloody properly.

[Lickyicelollies]

Cannot fucking stand the FFP3 masks!!!

[BBCONEANDTWO]

What's very sad is at the start the NHS were put on a pedestal and they coped with the 'adrenaline' and the crisis. Coming out is harder and some people like to see NHS knocked off the pedestal.

I've worked through but not frontline - it's harder for me now with all the changes and seeing everyone so confused - every day there's a different fucking guideline!

[hayfeverhellish]

They'll be ripping us to shreds soon with waiting list, lack of appointments and all the after math health concerns. We've got people complaining already that they can't be seen and we haven't even started face to face work yet. People are going to be bitterly disappointed with the new NHS.

[LesbianMummies]

I’ll join you!

I’m a midwife. I am utterly fed up of people shouting at me when I tell them their partners can’t come into the scan etc. like I am personally making up the rules just to piss them off. People saying well we’re from the same household so it doesn’t matter, well I’m not and I don’t want to double my already high risk thanks.

[reikizen]

Yep, me too. I’m a midwife and I feel sick at the thought of 12 hour shifts in those fucking masks for no good reason! I end up taking mine off when I am in the room with a labouring woman as I just can’t connect otherwise. Plus, mask/pinny/gloves and I sweat like a bastard! Hate my job. Would love to leave but trapped by pension/too old to retrain.