Adam Kay on Jonathan Ross. Talking about NHS Christmas working.

[HeIenaDove]

He has an article in the December issue of Red too. i didnt realise he was so funny.

He did six Christmases out of the seven he qualified as a doctor in the NHS. Part of reason for it was because he didnt/doesnt have children. And he made it sound like it was pretty much an ingrained idea That parents get first dibs re to work/not work Christmas Day

They don't. Hope that helps.

Last year as a part timer, I worked christmas day 1pm-8pm. My then 6 and 3 year olds had to be left with someone unrelated. Because I'm a single mum.

I also worked new years eve and new years day. As well as other days in between.

I contemplated giving my career up last year. I'm barely hanging in by a thread because with children and no partner it is virtually unworkable.

So. No. No special treatment from management. Bet they never had to dump their kids somewhere on Christmas day though....

This have you thought about changing areas? I work endoscopy Mo -Fri. Closed Xmas etc. It’s gray.
Plus loads of private weekend work to make up £££.
There are lots of areas clinics etc, that are closed holidays.

Great, not gray

I don’t work Xmas anymore. Used to as a junior dr, and took my fair share for a few years as a consultant. But not for 6 years or so now.

But to ensure that I don’t work xmas (and can manage to be off on other important dates/holidays for kids), I have:

Negotiated dropping out of hours/oncall work -lost 8% supplement on my salary
Went part-time -lost 40% of my salary

I essentially never get rota’d on public holidays now. It’s strange how many people think this means I am lucky rather than just working less, and earning less as a result.

I worked last Christmas when my kids were 1 and 6, hoped I'd get this year but no. Dad also works in care, he is on too, got a fab babysitter .

No preferential treatment for parents at all!

My sister and BIL (both surgeons) have been on call on either Xmas Eve or Xmas Day for nearly a decade now. And brought up two kids in the process (both at Uni). We have never been able to have Xmas at ours as a result because they need to be near their hospital.
Interestingly in the US, where DH was a medic for a while before we returned to the UK Jewish and Indian doctors were often expected to cover the Christmas rota in DH’s hospital certainly.

*But to ensure that I don’t work xmas (and can manage to be off on other important dates/holidays for kids), I have:

Negotiated dropping out of hours/oncall work -lost 8% supplement on my salary
Went part-time -lost 40% of my salary*

Would that not be the case though for anyone who works in a service that is operational 24/7, eg police, fire service? I used to manage a service that needed to be staffed 24/7 and while we tried to give folk what they wanted the reality was that we needed staff at Christmas and other times of the year when people might traditionally be off. Many of my team went part time to be able to juggle the demands of parenting and to be at home over holiday times, that’s not unique to the NHS at all.

OP I would have some staff who would volunteer to cover Christmas Eve or Christmas Day because they didn’t have kids and didn’t have plans as such for the day. It was kind of them to support their colleagues by taking the crappy shifts but was by no means expected that non-parents would work at Christmas, maybe that’s what Adam Kay was referring to?

I've worked every Christmas I've been in the NHS unless on mat leave. I've never worked anywhere organised enough or well staffed enough that they could take whether or not you have kids into the rota-nightmare puzzle. Plus many staff where I work are from overseas and would love enough time off to get home or have family over so kids are not the only personal circs that would come into play.

I work in an acute area and Christmas Day is a day people need us the same as any other.

jellycatspyjamas yes, i’m sure that would be the case in many places. I was (sleepily) making some sort of point about how NHS colleagues behave as though I am “lucky” when actually what I’ve done is take a substantial hit in my salary for this “luck” as many women do when children come along.