"I owe my life to a clerical assistant"

[user1472419718]

I keep seeing Unison adverts on the internet recently, highlighting the work that people in the public services sector do.

They have titles such as "I owe my life to a clerical assistant" and go on to detail the individual contributions of different public sector workers. But whilst I agree that every role is essential, ultimately the clerical assistant who created the ambulance rota did not save this man's life, and I feel this undermines the actions of the paramedics, doctors, nurses and other medical professionals.

Another example has the title "A cleaner helped teach my Chloe her times table". Again, whilst the cleaner is an essential public services worker at the school, this statement undermines the teacher and teaching assistant.

AIBU or am I just missing the point?

[Riverganges]

Many years ago I was temping as a data entry clerk in the NHS, between jobs. This was just after I obtained my PhD. I was treated like I was quite thick and couldn't possibly understand the research by by the doctors and consultants - until one of one of them saw Dr Riverganges written on a letter on my desk. Their attitude changed so fast, it was funny. I was the same person as before, but now they knew I was Dr Somebody, I was somehow worthy of respect and a conversation.

[Wellhellothere1]

I think these adverts are brilliant. My own personal experience as a hospital pharmacist is we regularly correct prescribing errors on admission, during the hospital stay and on discharge home. Most of these errors are minor but a fair amount could potentially be pretty major. Most patients and the public don't really know what we do. Hospital pharmacists are never in Casualty!

[TheSparrowhawk]

One large organisation I work with is restructuring and getting rid of admin staff in an attempt to cut costs. All that's happened is that instead of paying someone £22k to focus entirely on keeping things running smoothly, they're now paying their 'higher level' staff £32k + to juggle both their own jobs and all the admin. So both the higher level jobs and the admin are getting done badly, for essentially no cost saving. It's so boneheaded it would be funny if it weren't so awful. The idiots making these stupid decisions seem genuinely perplexed as to why things haven't improved. They seem to genuinely think that admin staff were entirely superfluous. How can supposedly intelligent people be so thick?

[Spudlet]

I was a ward clerk. My job was to make sure the hcps had all the case notes for a patient, even if that meant going through 4 different storerooms and merging multiple sets of notes into one chronological file. I'm the one that answered the ward phone when relatives rang. I'm the one who made clinic appointments. I'm the one who answered the question 'what time is it?' when a confused patient with memory loss asked every five minutes for a whole day...

That didn't make me more important than the doctors or nurses. But I was part of the team too. I never really felt appreciated and yes, there was definitely an assumption in certain quarters that I must be a bit thick... a bit of acknowledgement would have been nice.

[1Potato2]

I think those who 'are missing the point' are the ones actually missing the point. Without clean wards, those sorting appointments and ordering medication and supplies, the medical staff couldn't treat the patients effectively. See the bigger picture. Oliversmumsarmy comment pissed me off no end.

[ladylanky]

My sister got a YTS job in our local hospital at 17, nearly 30 years later she's still there in a clerical position. If you want help in that hospital, ask my sister - she might not be able to take your appendix out but she'll get you in front of a woman that can at the right time and make sure everyone had the information they need while holding your hand if you need it.
Your missing the point, the hospital wouldnt function without non-medical staff.

[NotYoda]

No, you aren't missing the point. You explained the point in your OP - that all these people are part of a system and they are all important and should not be overlooked.

[NotYoda]

Oliversmummy

"It doesn't matter who does the cleaning" etc

No, it doesn't matter who does it, but it matters that someone does. And does it well, and is valued and paid enough to do it well.

It seems obvious to me

[fastdaytears]

I'm so pleased by the replies to this! I love this campaign and think it makes a great point. It's all about the team.

[user1471521456]

Oliversarmymum: it doesn't matter who cleans, who nurses, who does the admin ultimately unless a doctor starts to treat a patient then nothing gets done

So you haven't missed the point at all then! If you get rid of the cleaners, the nurses and the admin staff, the doctors will be doing all that as well and not have time to actually treat patients.

[hiccupgirl]

I think these ads are fantastic. Everyone needs the whole team working together for public services to run effectively.

When I was a class teacher I couldn't have done my job properly without the wonderful office staff and the caretaker.

[Lokisglowstickofdestiny]

In any organisation, whether public or private sector the "back office" are essential. It doesn't take anything away from front line employees but rather focuses on the point that without the clerical assistant, the paramedics would have to sort their own rota's out which would take them away from doing the job of attending emergencies, leading to a situation where people would die.

[CheekyMcgee]

Yes oliversmum you have missed the point. Would you prefer your DP and DD to have been treated in a filthy ward with rubbish nurses, putting them at risk of mrsa?

[NotYoda]

Anyone watched the BBC1 Ambulance programme? Staggering amount of team work. Inspiring and depressing at the same time

[poppopp]

I think the ads are great, there is such a focus on frontline staff and while of course they are incredibly important, they can't do their job without those in the background supporting them. It's not about who is "more" important but rather making people aware that staff at all levels are important.

[Birthdaypartyangstiness]

The point being made couldn't be more topical right now...with Jeremy Hunt's imposition of the 7 day contract on doctors there has been staggering ignorance of the fact that this will require ALL support staff to do 7 days too. Doctors don't and can't work alone.

[NoahVale]

i wholeheartedly support those ads.
If it makes people think and Realise that the doctors/teachers and others could not do their jobs without admin support it must be a good thing.

[Witchend]

I remember an assembly we got un junior school. It was about a man who went round a cathedral when it was being built.
He saw someone calving intricate flowers into the stone pillars. He said to him "what are you doing?"
"pillars" grunted the man without looking up.
So he approached the man who was working out a beautiful stained glass window. "What are you doing?"
"Windows," he said not pausing in what he was doing.
And the same was repeated round the cathedral.
The he went up to the man next to the woodcarvers. He was sweeping the sawdust and wood peelings from the floor.
"And what are you doing?"
The chap stopped what he was doing. Looked up and smiled proudly.
"Young man, I am helping to build a cathedral."

I understood that at aged 7or 8 yo, that the person who apparently was doing the least worthwhile Jo was still part of the big picture. I'm sure the OP did understand exactly the point.

[EllieFredrickson]

I love these. There's a general view perpetuated (dare I say it by Tory politicians) that anyone in the 'back office' isn't needed. As others have said you try running a service without it...

[ThumbWitchesAbroad]

Really pleased to read most of these responses!
Although, as an ex hospital lab scientist I do rather take issue with being called a technician. Most lab staff are fully qualified biomedical scientists these days, and many of the younger ones will have had to gain a degree to get a job in a lab. The older staff, yes some of them will have been grandparented across without a degree; but "technician" really doesn't do any of them justice. We weren't there just to push buttons but also to interpret results.

[Themoreitsnowstiddlypom]

I do one of those clerical type jobs op, supporting someone working at the front end and the crap I have to deal with is unreal, people never take my word and trust what I'm saying always undermining me by going to the frontline staff asking the same questions and inspite of getting the same answer they got from me they accept it from them instead. They won't let me do the clerical bookings in for them they want to take others from the jobs they do to book them in stopping them from actually doing their real job etc.
When your on the front line People can see quite clearly the importance of your role, however those in supporting role can be easily undermined when people indirectly ask for the organ grinder and not the monkey.
It can be rude, demoralising, hurtful and can make it impossible to do your job when all you want to do its to do it well and free others up to do their job well too.
It may seem my post is a little dramatic but after 6 yrs doing my job in this role after being a police officer, people's attitudes to clerical staff etc have actually shocked me more than what I dealt with in the police.
So adverts like this will hopefully encourage a more respectful to supporting roles in all industries not just the nhs, it doesn't demean nurses, doctors etc it means there is a lot more that goes on behind the science that people realise and that the people that do the more anonymous back round jobs should be respected equally for the support they provide allowing doctors etc to do their jobs effectively.

[NotYoda]

Francis

Yes.

[JeepersMcoy]

I work in public sector and am seeing back office staff being cut a lot with the idea that this saves front line staff. Really all it means is the front line staff spend half their time battling paperwork rather than doing the job they are trained for. It is infuriating!

[NotYoda]

Themore

I used to work as a hospital Receptionist. Totally agree