Can someone explain that business about sanitary products and hospital workers

[Ohmycron]

I don’t understand why they just can’t take a big pack in in case they run short like everyone else does

Have I missed something.

@Isthisprivate

I work in a school where we are utterly awash with sanitary protection that everyone reckons all the kids need and take up is so minimal It’s not about how much they use, it’s about being able to access it. If you can’t have sympathy for a woman wanting to keep her dignity by not being forced to bleed through her clothes then I don’t believe you are a woman. It’s been explained multiple times to you, read it or clear off.

Agreed

@Justkeeppedaling

Can't they put a pad or a tampon in their pocket?

Oh my god you've solved it! Cracked the case! Well done you!

@Forrandomposts that's what this thread is about. Available san pro in all toilets! But do you really think it's possible for 20-30 women in one department to ALL keep their own bag with their san pro in the staff room/toilet? You think every department has a staff room?! We have a kitchenette. There's barely room for a kettle let alone 20 peoples bags of tampax! And again a ward desk? Not every department in a hospital is a ward, and the same applies again . Nurses stations/ward desks aren't there to stash your bag and your tampons and there isn't room.

Because they use the nearest loo & can't carry the products with them in scrubs. Don't have time to access their lockers.

Why on earth would anyone disagree with this. It's sanitary products for god sake. It's 2022!

I work in emergency services and there is always sanitary products, basic shower gel, deodorant and baby wipes in every loo. I had no idea it was one of our seniors putting them in themselves to ensure people could always have access.

This should be basic when you do a job where you don't have any control over your day to day.

A problem has arisen, mainly due to lack of staff, where members of staff are struggling to find the time to change sanitary wear adequately as they can't leave their patients, as there is no one to pick up the slack. This is, in part, due to being deployed too far away from any supply of sanitary wear they may personally have, and an inability to carry it with them due to lack of pockets in uniforms, pockets already in use with items needed to do their job, or infection control measures that mean they can't carry them. This may lead to bleeding through or being caught out as even the most organised person doesn't know to the moment when bleeding will start, and the hygiene and comfort risks this poses. Not to mention the embarrassment factor.

In answer to this, it has been suggested that sanitary wear be made available in toilets available for staff use to enable the time taken to deal with the involuntary bodily function be lowered to get them back to caring for their patients faster, and people are having an issue with this and suggesting that a) it's not a problem in the first place b) a preferable option is to stuff them into bra's and socks and other suggestions.

Why are people actively trying to make it harder for people who are trying to meet the already excessive demands placed on them?

Imo they should be viewed in the same way as loo roll and they should be available in all women's toilets.

Can't they put a pad or a tampon in their pocket?

Try reading the thread. Or better still, try wearing scrubs and PPE for 12 hours.

It's not just clinical staff, I worked in a clerical role and has similar issues. Our clinic was one of the busiest in the hospital with a steady stream of patients booking in/checking out, each patient needs notes prepped for the clinical staff and as the patient comes in you check that they've been prepped properly/nothing is missing, if anything is missing you have to obtain it. In the back office you're prepping the notes, going off to other departments, going down to records to find notes and to collect notes needed for clinic lists, going to other sites to collect records - and we had an on-call clinic alongside the pre-booked clinic so rushing off to get notes at short notice was par for the course.

If on the reception desk there were no breaks until lunch as it couldn't be left unstaffed and there were no gaps in patients. If working in the back office then you were all over the hospital, visiting other sites, back and forth to records, and again no opportunity for a break until lunch. A delay in records being ready could delay the clinic. Our lockers were in the atrium near the hand scan clocking-in machine, a good 10 minute walk from the department, no personal bags allowed in workspaces and no pockets in our NHS-issue uniforms (polo shirt and pants for back office work, skirt and blouse for front desk).

@caringcarer

I have never seen a ward without a nurses station. Surely just pop sanpro behind nurses station. Toilets on every ward.

We don't. We have tables with wheels on that we keep in the bays. Will add we have no lockers or changing rooms either.

Nurses stations are out dated and are slowly being replaced

@Mum78911

Nobody is saying don't put a pack of pads in the toilet. It's the melodrama that goes with it.

What melodrama? As I understand it, it's just being put forward as a perfectly sensible request, with some explanation of the reasons for needing this.

@LuluBlakey1

It's the same for many workers- hospital staff are no different. Teachers, for example- can go from 8.45am-1.pm and end up with no break. Hospital staff have plenty of places they can keep stuff- most nurses have pockets in their top, or their trousers have pockets, or they can wear a t shirt underneath with a pocket. Or you can wear a tampon and a pad. It's trivial fuss and drama when there are so many much bigger things we need to worry about.

I'm just a desk-jockey (not NHS), currently working from home, approximately 12 feet from my well-stocked downstairs loo. On Friday, despite wearing a super plus extra tampon and a pad, I flooded through my trousers within 2 hours and had to change my clothes. And I'm just sitting here - I'm not dealing with patients, running from one end of a hospital to another, scrubbed into theatre, performing surgery or anything remotely useful in the grand scheme of things.

If you could try to open your tiny mind to the possibility that your narrow experience is not entirely representative of every other woman out there, you might be able to understand what the problem is.

To accuse women of "melodrama" when all they request is basic dignity and comfort in the workplace is outrageous.
A workplace under severe strain and demanding ever more from the workers. Why are women's needs minimised and marginalised?.

@MauveMavis tbh I would actually tell the helpful male colleague why, with all the gory details (even exaggerated if need be).
As a HCP they shouldn’t have an issue with that description but somehow I suspect that it would make them squirm. And maybe think twice next time

It’s as of those men 1- have never lived with a woman and/or 2- have never been taught about periods etc…

I don’t know. What do they happen? That women have periods but they somehow get deal with like a wee or spunk?

@Maireas be a use we are in a patriarchal society where women don’t matter, they are hysterical and asking for privileges that they shouldn’t get.
I mean if women get privileges like this, why don’t men have some too?

My employer (office based work) had started providing sanpro in the ladies toilets prior to Covid (I’ve been home-working since then so no idea if they still do). Admittedly it was bulky Kotex and lower absorbency tampax so I’m not sure anyone would be tempted to rely on it as their normal supply. I don’t have periods anymore, but can think of quite a few occasions when they would have been really helpful. For example with an irregular cycle coming on unexpectedly, thinking you’d put spares in your bag then realising you haven’t. Having a quick loo break mid meeting, not expecting to have to change so not taking anything with you and finding things were heavier than you thought. If it’s useful (and supplied) for office based workers I imagine that for healthcare workers with all the extra problems described it could be a godsend. And if it makes daily work life just a little less stressful then why the hell not?

[quote MananaTomorrow]@Maireas be a use we are in a patriarchal society where women don’t matter, they are hysterical and asking for privileges that they shouldn’t get.
I mean if women get privileges like this, why don’t men have some too?[/quote]
Sadly true.

Like others, I'm surprised by some of the comments here. If hospital staff have raised this as an issue, why wouldn't we believe them?
With the quantities the NHS would need to buy, they could get sanpro as cheap as chips. Just bung some in the loos FFS.
Job done.
It really is that simple, surely?

All workplace and public toilets should provide basic sanitary protection free of charge in the same way they provide basic toilet paper. It doesn't need to be fancy, you don't usually get triple ply quilted loo roll in a public toilet after all, but basic pads and basic tampons. Having a period isn't a choice, it's a biological function.

To paraphrase from a PP - if men were bleeding from their dicks once a month you can bet it would be provided free in all toilets.

The money spent if every women 'claimed' one free item per period is approximately equal to the monetary value of the time lost if each women had to walk 5mins to their locker and back, once per period.

The argument is all about keeping women in their place and being automatically resistant to any requests to make their lives easier.

As the twat on twitter (ultima Paul) so quickly demonstrated.

All the ’wear a tampon and a pad’ comments.

Some women have recurrent thrush where wearing a tampon is painful.

Vaginismus

Vulvodynia

Bacterial vaginosis and other infections, allergies can make wearing tampons excruciating.

Add in every other issue a woman may have for not wearing tampons including ability to actually insert them or even trauma

And you can see why this suggestion of a belt and braces approach isn’t good enough.

Granted there’s a lot of things to make it easier for us but as I said up thread the issue is staffing so women can attend to their own needs safely. Free pads are a great idea but doesn’t solve the issue of us needing the breaks and time in the first place to deal with any period related eventuality like leakage, general changing, changing more often or the extra time needed if we have disabilities or difficulties that can make the process slower.

I saw this. I don't get the issue either. Or there is a pharmacy shop we can buy them!

@BlackAndPinkNose

They often are unable to take toilet breaks to actually change pads / tampons is the issue I believe

It's really not that difficult to have a quick loo break.

Ffs! Yes it is!

@Toddlerteaplease

I saw this. I don't get the issue either. Or there is a pharmacy shop we can buy them!

I stated this earlier up thread. I needed sanpro . Went to the hospital shop. A box of tampons cost me £4. And I wasn't heavy enough . It was an uncomfortable shift until I got home. Where I can go into Aldi and buy 2 boxes for less. We don't have time to nip to the local Tesco et. to go buy. The alternative is patient incontinence pads with a pair of net knickers 👍🏻