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.

@Maireas

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?.

Completely agree

In my non-medical job we have key cards on lanyards. They open the doors, unlock the photocopiers, and can be topped up online to use in the vending machines. A similar system could be introduced on NHS staff ID and they could be used to buy sanpro from machines in toilets. Or, given this would cost a few quid to set up, the money could be used to just bung a few pads & tampons in the toilets. I don’t see what the issue is, we’re not expected to supply our own toilet rolls, it’s not a huge stretch to tampons. Do they really think women will get greedy with basic pads and take more than they need, sell them on, or is it because men don’t need them too?

I would like to see those here who say just carry them around with you, just nip to the loo or the ridiculous tee hee, take a long walk, working a shift where you can't just nip to the loo, carry them around with you or god forbid, take a long walk!
I'd also like them to try doing a shift in incontinence knickers ( my daughter ) or worrying about leaks and flooding.
Or having to hold your bladder.
They've clearly never worked where any of those situations are an unfortunate reality.
Women who work in those situations aren't asking for special treatment, they're not asking for the moon, they're simply asking for a considerate and practical answer to a problem that they face.
An embarrassing and uncomfortable problem at that.
Strangely, I can guarantee that the same posters who say oh just go to the loo etc are the first ones to start shouting " how dare a teacher deny my daughter a toilet trip"!

@FudgeOff

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.

I'm paid approximately £20/hr. My locker is often a 15min round trip away. That's £5 wasted every 2 hours on the heaviest days of my period. £25 of NHS money and 1hr 15m of relatively senior doctor time not going on patients if I'm on a long day. And no, I can't fit 5 heavy pads and 5 tampons in my pocket, my sock, my bra or wherever else some PPs would like me to shove them.

@Ohmycron

Really odd thing.

What's odd is creating a thread like this.

Why NOT support women and make their lives easier. I would love to hear your answer.

And don't say tax. How many BILLIONS have been wasted this year. I would happily pay tax for something like that.

@Ohmycron

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

Take up might be minimal but those girls/women who ARE caught out will be able to sort themselves out. I don’t see why this is an issue. As pp said, we have toilet roll in every toilet. Menstruation isn’t a choice.

I’m boring myself still saying this after 35 years…. But yet again it boils down to - if this was something that happened to men it would be a very different situation.

Obviously a long term solution is needed but for anyone reading who is dealing with this problem can I recommend the Modibodi period pants? I work in a building where the women's toilets are a 10 minute round trip and on days when I'm stuck in back to back meetings I barely have time to run to the toilet and back, let alone faff around with sanpro. I use the heavy/overnight ones but they also have a 24hour version. I haven't come close to leaking at all.

I did two bank night shifts at the weekend. My locker was a 20 minute round trip away and due to a staffing crisis I was the only qualified nurse on duty the second night. It wouldn't even be legal for me to leave the ward.

I dont want to use sanpro that's been shoved in the pocket of my scrubs for a 12 hour shift FGS!

Sounds like a fantastic perk, hopefully it will entice more people to work in healthcare

Myself and most of my colleagues are quite lucky that we don’t need to go to the loo often as we are so dehydrated (not allowed to keep water bottles at nurses station).

I’m covered in sudocream at the minute after having a normal flow period during my 12 hour shift on Saturday. I was aware about 5 hours into my shift that I should go to the toilet but on the way I had to deal with wandering patients, relatives who needed information and reassurance, a patient who needed water then I dropped the jug on the way back so had to clean that up and then various other call buttons. By the time I changed my pad 3 hours later I was sore and soaked through my trousers. I was conscious of smelling and couldn’t wait to get home for a shower.

Good grief, I can't believe that, after over 260 comments, there are STILL people saying "it's not that hard to have a loo break".

@Ohmycron you've obviously never worked as a nurse! I get home some days and realise if not had a chance to get to the loo my whole shift!

I think some of the attitudes on this thread are a clear explanation of why we can't recruit and retain people for healthcare jobs.

Honestly, they're not even asking for more time to go and do what they need to do (or the time they're legally entitled to), or to have storage facilities wherever they may happen to be working at any given moment to have access to what they need. They're asking for one small mitigation so they can continue to deal with the short staffed shit show that they're facing, to keep patients cared for.
It's beyond belief that people are having an issue with this when the majority are already going above and beyond every day to keep the system limping along.
It's disgusting.

I work in a hospital I've never heard such nonsense

I have twice at work not been able 'to take a piss'! Well I did but, once was at a homebirth and the woman was in her bath, only one bathroom. I just pulled the shower curtain across and got on with it! No where else to go. And the second time no one to relieve for breaks at all. A woman in advanced labour couldn't leave the room so I nipped into her en-suite (we are lucky our labour rooms have these). It really is quite hard sometimes. I have noticed sanitary products in the loos recently and thought they were just left in there by someone on shift! It's quite helpful!

@SweetFelicityArkright well said

OP I really wish I had your time and energy to get so wound up about a sanitary pad. Nurses doctors medical staff get so little for so much if we can make their life that little bit easier then brilliant. I work in an office my bag comes most places can't imagine a surgeon carrying their bag with them. God a paramedic stops to change her san pro its all over bloody social media imagine the tounge wagging at them carrying a bag around.

@feelsobadfeltsogood

I work in a hospital I've never heard such nonsense

What is nonsense about it?

I work in a large Hospital, I am the only person that does my job in this Hospital and I'm usually lone working. I have an area that I work in but there is no toilet. So although I do have my bag with me, I have to physically lock and alarm the area every time I need the loo. I can only do this when there are no patients in the area and I am not in control of how many and when those patients arrive. I haven't had a lunch break for 12 years and when I have had to take a loo break and pop the 'back in 10mins' sign on the door I always get a complaint and the complaint is always from another member of staff that needs me for something and has never in 12 years been from a patient........

@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.

Have you read the replies from all these health care workers now? Has it given you a different perspective?

@GiveMeNovocain

It just shows how utterly taken for granted those who work in healthcare are when they need something that will keep them sanitary, clean and comfortable while still not getting adequate breaks to eat, drink and pee, and people have taken issue with it.
If HCPs start working to rule, take the breaks they're legally entitled to, start and finish on time etc, walk the 20 min round trip to grab a sanitary towel so they're not uncomfortable and bleeding through, refuse to work over their contracted hours etc then we're all fucked, because that's the goodwill the NHS exists on.

This should not be a debate only about hospitals.
Toilet roll is provided free in all toilets, including cafes, shops, public toilets etc.

So why is it not just as normal to provide sanitary products? No one would dream of having to carry a loo roll around with them at all times, so why is this not the same?