...to think that tea ladies in hospital should serve tea WHILST they moan about work/men/pregnancies?

[Grumpyrealist77]

I think hospital staff are angels and do an amazing, challenging job. BUT if you're going to moan about everything going wrong in your life loudly, in view of everyone, then you should be serving the tea at the same time? Not taking an unofficial 10 minute break? (One said her break was coming up in 10 minutes, so they weren't having a break on the hoof). A nurse walked past after 10 minutes and they all hopped to it dishing out hot tea.

Yes, I think they're being very unprofessional if they're behaving like that, if nothing else I'm sure people in hospitals don't want to hear all their woes.

But, they're working (on Sunday?) for minimum wage. I don't expect there's a big queue.

I don't know...I'm a nosey old biddy and I'd probably find their conversation quite interesting. Makes me think of a Two Ronnies sketch!
As Storytown says, they earn very little. You're not going to get superb standards for a few pence per hour.

I'd find it interesting too.
I love over hearing other peoples' conversations.

A lot of tea ladies and gents at our hospital are volunteers so they can gossip and batter all they want

Are they volunteers?

Bum enjoying lovely mental image of volunteers freely battering in your hospital....

They're probably volunteers. At my local hospital they wear yellow tabards, and the housekeeping paid staff wear white uniforms

I don't mind the gossiping but I was parched, just off nil by mouth and they could have served whilst chatting!
They weren't volunteers, in full nurse tunics, just dark green instead of blue! It was the not working that was most annoying, not the gossiping. The gossiping made it plainly clear they were skiving!

I'm a great one for just coming out with it, so in that situation I'd probably have called out, "Oi!! Come on you two, I'm dying of thirst over here!" You could also add when they get to your bedside, "Got any gin with that?" just to show no hard feelings etc.

Whoops I mean matter