Burnout NHS nurse want to hand notice in and leave

[DontEatYellowSnow]

I’m an NHS nurse feeling very stressed, anxious and low. My GP has signed me off with work related stress, I’m now on ADs and using self help techniques. Waiting for OH referral. I’ve had lots of family issues recently and two small children, I tend to work around my husband. Work has been really full on the past few months, and as usual skeleton staffed and pressured lately with quite a few stressful incidents, and a bullying incident thrown in. My line manager is sort of supportive but making out that I’ve carried these issues from previous job roles but it’s my current one I feel bad made me burnout and I feel cannot return to, I am now dreading it. I feel very much like a square peg in a round hole, lots of negative office politics going on, with no autonomy and my line manager bulldozing over our decisions.
My husband is supportive and is encouraging me in whatever I decide. I really want to hand my notice in, it feels like such a leap or risk after 10 years of continuous service.

Shall I just do local trust bank and agency?
I’m joining some nursing agencies now, I’m not sure if they would send me to hospitals though I’d like to go back to wards and the acute sector but I’m pretty nervous about working shifts and wards or ED again, but it would offer me more flexibility. I’m not up to date with IVs or been on wards for years!

[Mumof1andacat]

Have u thought about signing up for nhsp? Seems to be the preferred choice for bank these days. I think they offer training too. The also offer placements for a few weeks rather than odd shifts. On the other side of things my trust offers work place options where u can get access to counselling quicker than an nhs referral.

[SoftlyCatchyMonkey1]

Op your mental health is suffering. What are you staying for? Can you honestly see a future where you are?

I left full time NHS to do private and agency work....best decision for me. Immediate improvement in mental health which has continued.

[cheesywotnots]

What sort of place do you work now, being on the wards is hard work now and short staffed, I wouldn't worry about iv but are you up to date with other things like resus, manual handling, infection control, medication, some agencies offer training. What about out patients, discharge planning, something non clinical. You can specify what kind of work you want to do with some agencies, care homes are always looking for staff.

[Smallhorse]

Do it

[DontEatYellowSnow]

Thanks for your replies.
I think I’ve stayed so far for the benefits of pension, holiday and sick pay, but I realise this can continue on NHSP, I’m already on the books, I’m hoping I get regular work. I’m up to date with everything else. I’m community based and not afraid of hard work, in fact I find it hard to say no, so always pick up extra work, overcompensating for being part time. I’m totally at the end of my tether with my current post for lots of reasons, including my intense line manager and all the administration we take home and have to do for free outside of work hours just to stay on top of it. I’m always on the back foot, my opinion matters less and made to feel less valued being a part timer, when they don’t understand that when I’m not at work I’ve had to look after my kids, my parents and my husband lately, with sleep deprivation!
I guess I’ve reached the point where I just want to be a free agent. It’s unnerving to make the leap from the security blanket of a permanent post to the uncertainty of roaming about. I’m hoping I’ve considered all the pros and cons fully before making a decision.
I’m probably just gonna do it screw it!!

[cheesywotnots]

Your community experience will be great, how about a rehab unit, community hospital or delayed discharge unit. The nhs is good for benefits, you don't get all that in carehomes and you're usually the only rn on duty. Go on the bank, there's plenty of work and if you don't like a placement you don't go back.

[bummedout]

What sort of community nursing? I think that will depend on your ability to go back to the wards. Can you be redeployed? I'm an HV and they've been desperate for ward staff so happy to provide training within the trust.

Nursing is so awful at the moment. People are leaving in droves. I quit recently after 15 years. The sense of relief was enormous!

[DontEatYellowSnow]

Bummedout- general community nurse, jack of all trades.
I really don’t want to be a trust employee anymore, with all the crap that goes with it, you’re right it’s awful everywhere, I have friends in different departments and they all say the same.

Have you got another job? Or retired?

I feel so relieved being off sick but worrying about my next move.

[bummedout]

I've left the nhs and I'm doing something completely different for a bit. I'll probably do bank just to keep my registration up but I don't see it getting better in the near future so hope to find something office based I like elsewhere.

I think it's important to remember there are lots of jobs paying the same if not more, with vastly better working conditions. You get a bit brainwashed as a public sector worker that the benefits are great but they aren't! The stress, responsibility and lack of resources are not comparable to other jobs at the same pay scale.

I worked in marketing for 10 years before nursing and never experienced the bullying, unreasonableness and poor management I have as a nhs worker. There is s better job out there for you!

[Babyroobs]

I've left the NHS after 30 years - it wasn't worth risking my mental health over any longer. After a couple of years I have retrained in a different career and am so much happier and in the new year will be starting a new job which will pay the same as the top Band 5 I left on. I never thought I could do it but I have. I will probably let my registration lapse altogether this year.

[OrcinusOrca]

At this time of year, if doing bank and agency in acute you could be sent here there and everywhere, it makes people really unhappy where I am. Sorry to hear community nursing is pants too. Is there any chance you could do something more outpatients based? A specialty that springs to mind is something like Ophthalmology?

One of my friends left district nursing to teach at universities. Don't think she had any teaching qualifications now I think about it, but she really enjoyed that.

Plenty of non-nursing jobs you could do in the NHS too, admin and clerical type jobs, if you fancy something like that. I know of senior operational managers who were nurses, directors etc too.