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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this letter from NHS is pathetic?

164 replies

MozzchopsThirty · 21/03/2015 14:19

I no longer work in the clinical area so I have nice gel nails. They are not long or talon like, they are short, neat and usually neutrally coloured.

A few weeks ago I did a shift on my old ward (ITU) and my old ward manager noticed them and asked me to remove them, I explained that I couldn't and she said it was unprofessional and I was setting a bad example!

Now to give some perspective on that shift there were 3 other agency workers from a particular agency who charge approx £400 per shift. I get about £140.
I cared for one patient, gave care as I always would, adhered to hand hygiene and wore gloves for clinical tasks

I've now recieved a letter stating that my conduct was unprofessional and that gel nails must not be worn in the clinical area

Now whilst I appreciate this, and when working in clinical area I never had nails, I can't believe the WM has alerted the temp staff office and they've written to me.

I'm now faced with the choice of removing nails for the sake of one shift every 1-2 months or stop working there and the NHS pay someone else £400 to do my shifts
That's £260 extra for the sake of nails

I'm ð??³ð??³ð??³ð??³ð??³

OP posts:
Northernlurker · 21/03/2015 23:29

Wow yes being girly with nice nails is loads more important than preventing life threatening infection Hmm

Original poster
MozzchopsThirty · 21/03/2015 23:36

Slight twist of my words there northern!
I would expect better from you

OP posts:
Salmotrutta · 21/03/2015 23:36

Idiotdh - I seriously hope you never come within a mile of me or mine.

You come across as a very hard-of-thinking person. And apparently you graduated in medicine?

I'm extremely glad a senior nurse bawled you out for not using hand scrub.

My MIL once bawled out a Doctor for not washing her hands between examining one patient and the next.

My MIL was the second patient and she had an open wound. She totally wiped the floor with that Doctor. I witnessed it. Was it you Idiot?

MIL was awesome.

DustingOffTheDynastySuit · 21/03/2015 23:37

Intrigued by the "no visible white" rule quoted on the first page, is that universal? I bit my nails atrociously as a child so the white bit (not sure what it's called) starts very low down and close to the cuticles on some of my nails, I'd be in agony if I had to cut them down that far!

Eminado · 21/03/2015 23:44

"Idiotdh - I seriously hope you never come within a mile of me or mine."

^^ me too Shock

hiddenhome · 22/03/2015 00:21

How can any nurse put 'being girly' before her profession? Is this what it's come to? Sad

keepsmiling2015 · 22/03/2015 07:29

If you're breaking regulations then yabu and the letter was not at all. The fact that you only work there once or twice every two months is completely irrelevant also. Rules and regulations are not there to be broken (a couple of times a month).

So you want us to be all up in arms that possibly you could be let go (for refusing to take off your fake nails) and be outraged they'll pay someone from the agency to take your place. That is not relevant to us. I think it's best practice yo have someone who adheres to all regulations whilst working in a clinical environment, irrespective of their wage.

Northernlurker · 22/03/2015 09:48

Mozz you said ' it's nice to be girly and have nice nails.
I'm not sure I believe gel nails are evil and the source of all hospital infections hmm' No twisting needed and I expected better of you. I've been shocked by this thread tbh.

Dusting - no visible 'white' means that if you turn your hand over so it's palm upwards, you shouldn't be able to see the white of nail beyond the end of the fingers. Does that make sense? I think the uniform policy where I work just says 'short' though.

WeAllHaveWings · 22/03/2015 10:00

I'm not sure I believe gel nails are evil and the source of all hospital infections.

Given that you will be responsible for the safety of seriously ill patients maybe you should ask someone who does know then Hmm

I really can't work out if its your attitude to your patients that stinks or if you need serious retraining. Either way the patients will be better off now you've stopped doing bank.

Cherriesandapples · 22/03/2015 10:05

Yabu- for all the reasons given above! Frankly though if you didn't realise that you were being unreasonable then you probably aren't competent to work in ITu anyway!

GratefulHead · 22/03/2015 10:08

Sorry but YABU. You need to chat to an infection control nurse. Gel nails/any other nail extension are considered an unnecessary infection risk even WITH good hand hygiene.

GratefulHead · 22/03/2015 10:09

No I don't believe you should be disciplined/struck off etc but I do think you need to read some of the infection control research.

Idiotdh · 22/03/2015 13:38

Lighten up people she's not worried about being told off about the nails and not working with the nails either so stop going on about it.

She was complaining about the letter..the style , yes?

Which of you would like to receive a formal letter about your glasses/ nails/ uniform/ shoes /perfume/ skincare ? Instead of just speaking about it.
Or e mail.

Yes but it's ok for NHS staff because let's just flagellate them and they should be grateful.

AnyFucker · 22/03/2015 13:45

I didn't get the message from the op that she accepted the request to remove the nails with any good grace at all. Her posts ooze arrogance and "I know better"

That will be why it was put in writing. So that if she were to turn up flouting the health and safety rules again (which looked likely, given her utter contempt for being treated like one of the masses), it could be escalated to a disciplinary procedure

FabULouse · 22/03/2015 14:12

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Northernlurker · 22/03/2015 14:24

She got the letter because she WAS spoken to and she declined to comply with the policy. I would expect a letter if I did that yes.

Cliffdiver · 22/03/2015 14:30

op are you one of those parents who pose with their pfb for the Daily Mail sad face photos along side the story 'my poor darling Johnny has been excluded from school because they wouldn't let him wear his neon coloured trainers / hair in a Mohawk / pajamas on a Wednesday'?

Libitina · 22/03/2015 14:45

OP YABU

And to Idiotdh, the same rules apply to ALL staff in a clincal setting at my trust. You also seem to think that Drs are somehow better than nurses (we are no longer Drs handmaidens there just to do their bidding) and I will, and have, pull anyone up on their hand hygeine (or anything else) if needed. I am a theatre scrub nurse and this is exceedingly important in my field of work.

Chocolatefudgebrownieicecream · 22/03/2015 14:56

I often think that I would be less of an infection risk with (non chipped) nail polish..... This is because I have awfully flakey nails and bugs could easily hide between the layers. I have worked in trusts where doctors wore non chipped nail polish without being told otherwise. I have worn clear chip nail strengthening stuff without thinking about it.... In fact I wore that at my last induction hand washing assessment and the nurses didn't mention it.

Original poster
MozzchopsThirty · 22/03/2015 15:23

Oh dear are you still going on

Just to clarify I didn't REFUSE to remove my nails, I told the sister that I was unable to remove them and I could either go or finish my shift, she chose the latter.
I do love the image of me flouncing round the NHS breaking rules everywhere. I wore a set of gels to one shift in my whole career and was spoken to about it, that should've been enough.

For those people saying you have faith in that ward sister oh how little you know. She's a tyrant who drives staff away including me, the unit is staffed with band 5 newly qualified nurses because no one wants to work for her.

However I would point out that those poorly supported, poorly mentored, tired, overworked, bullied newly qualified staff are not wearing nails!

Now let's leave it there, I'm not doing another shift and am happy to keep my nails until I return to clinical one day

OP posts:
AnyFucker · 22/03/2015 15:41

You keep your falsies, the NHS is a safer place for all

win/win

TeacupDrama · 22/03/2015 18:25

With am a dentist our rules are for dentists hygienist s and dental nurses no nail polish no gel / false nails and short nails was on decontamination course 3 weeks ago this is standard it said short nails nothing about no white showing, they also said plain non engraved wedding ring was acceptable provided it slides so can wash beneath, no rings with stones or engraving.
We have rules for staff re colour of shoes this is about uniform not cross infection, cross infection rules apply to everyone, uniform rules do not necessarily apply to everyone, the receptionist not being clinical can have nail varnish

Gel nails are bigger cross infection risk than nail polish

Op has admitted she was wrong and decided clinical work once every 2-3 months is not for her.

WayfaringStranger · 22/03/2015 19:10

Mozz you do know that you don't get to decide when the thread stops? Grin

AnyFucker · 22/03/2015 20:08

bump

just 'cos I can Wink

Lilybensmum1 · 22/03/2015 20:16

Sad to think a doctor thinks the rules don't apply to her. You adhere to the trust policy within which you work. This will apply to doctors and nurses. The archaic way of nurses ruling nurses and Drs ruling Drs has long passed. Are you really a Dr?

None of the Drs I work with behave this way. It's patients first otherwise why are you nursing?

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