Nurses watching tv/surfing the internet

[UB40fan]

My daughter was recently in hospital. While there we witnessed nurses watching an hour long tv show and surfing the internet. It was quiet in the hospital at the time. I was stunned by this. The nurses were quite open about this, as in this was obviously allowed. Am i the one behind the times or is this now normal?

This is definitely common during nightshifts. Once all the patients are settled in bed and paperwork, checking and cleaning is done I will often be on my phone either browsing or watching Netflix with 1 earphone in. No we technically aren't allowed, but if there is nothing else to do it's either that or fall asleep at the desk! As long as patients/responsibilities aren't being neglected there shouldn't be an issue.

If they are doing their job and not neglecting patients, I don’t see any reason to be concerned when a nurse watches tv or surfs the net during down time.

Can you tell us where this hospital is please so those of us looking for a new nursing job that permits us time to pee can apply?

Nurses work bloody hard. While it may look unprofessional and I personally wouldn’t watch tv (but I do surf the net) cut them some slack. Nurses give up so much to help keep the NHS running. It’s a full on, long hours, covering all times of the year. It’s not particularly well paid but most do it because they are compassionate and caring.

No tell me where it is because my son (ex 26 weeker) who frequents London paediatric wards in the winter would really love to be treated at one that wasn’t bursting at capacity. Our last admission wasn’t even in bronchiolitis season (that’s just the pits in paediatric wards) and it was mayhem.

I wouldn't watch TV and would never put earphones in.

It very often is mayhem on my ward. So we take advantage of the downtime we do get, because it never lasts. I didn't go home on time once last week or get both my breaks.

Goodness! Don’t go past a fire station when they’ve got no calls to attend to. On the UK I lived around the corner from one and they used to - gasp - play badminton whilst they waited for calls. That would tip OP over the edge, I’m sure.

OO, you should thank your lucky stars that despite not having worked for the past 30 years (so not having paid tax in the last 30 years) you were able to get hospital treatment for your daughter without putting your hand into your pocket. If you lived here you’d see it differently.

My mother is an NHS nurse. 13-hour shifts, no breaks, on her feet all day, unpaid overtime, and she’s 64 and still working full time. Weekends, evenings, bank holidays.... she has been excused nights but only since she turned 60. I bet you couldn’t do it, OP.

@BritWifeinUSA well said

I started my shift at 7pm last night and this has been the first I've sat down all night for a drink and a quick bite. My ward is running short of a nurse which is nothing new really but the amount of tasks I have to do means I won't even take my full break as its constant obs, checking on a couple of sick patients, write up my notes and see what's the plan with new patients that have been admitted. I've been told to fuck off about 5 times already and despite an alert on a patient for no lone workers, I don't have that option as the ward is too busy, I can't pull anyone else away.

Don't get me wrong, the ward has its quiet days and that's a rarity. We don't have a TV here and wouldn't surf the Internet but if its quiet, I'm not going to feel guilty sitting down. It mightve been that the nurses were all up to date with their work that they could sit and watch TV? As long as they weren't ignoring patients needs, I don't know what else you could expect them to do. Must admit tho, I'm jealous of this ward haha.

I guess they should not have been doing it as they are paid to work, this is social activity for their own time. If I were to do not at work I would be out on my ear.

most jobs allow employees to fill their time if tgere is nothing else to do. and during night shifts etc its more important to keep staff awake for potential emergencies than to police details.
i work in a professional job, and most people are occasionally on their phone. its more important work actually done than to look busy and “working” (but get nothing done because your mind needs a break)

How can you be so sure she wasn't on her break?

"OP who hasn't worked for 30 years complains that other people don't work hard enough"

That is bad. The lady that always comes to mind is Charlotte Bevan who just walked out of hospital with her newborn and jumped off a cliff. The nurses all huddled around the snack machine.

My mum was in hospital for many months last year. She was moved between several hospitals and for the most part her care was second to none.

The first ward she was on however was appalling. I witnessed what you saw several times too, during the time my mum was rapidly deteriorating. There was a terrible ethos of neglect and rudeness on this particular ward and I have no doubt that without me there to insist she saw a weekend doctor (which took 24 hours) that she would have died in there. The wonderful young doctor who saw her finally took her decline seriously and she ended up moving to a specialist hospital, diagnosed with a rare and serious illness. The nurses had failed to spot any decline in her at all. Worse than that was the attitude that I was some sort of irritant when I tried to raise any sort of concern about it.

I will always be grateful for her overall NHS care and her subsequent care was fantastic. But the memory of those nurses on that first ward, their dismissive manner and the way they scrolled through social media in the corridors while my mum became increasingly and frighteningly incapacitated will always upset me.

Please do say where this quiet hospital is where the staff can just sit about wasting time!! What's your AIBU? you clearly think they are the worst ever, but aren't planning on doing anything?

Nobody is denying that most NHS staff are caring, hard working and dedicated, and we’ve all got an emotional tale of gratitude to tell.

OP you have dared to introduce the concept of the Lazy Nurse.

These creatures (not just nurses, but all disciplines) thrive in the socialist maelstrom that is the NHS thanks to poor management and the accommodating natures of many of their kindly colleagues.

Surely most wards have "quiet periods"(No doubt offset by manically busy hair raising shifts!).Not all Nurses are perfect for sure ,but it is ridiculous to suggest they should be "on " all the time.I was under the impression that a sleep on Night Duty was allowed (Also havent worked for about 10 years ,so correct me if I m wrong).With due respect UB40 fan ,unless you fancy a stint on the 12 hour shifts ,(didnt think so!)then best to keep schtum!.I dont either ,and I think we should both be grateful we dont have to do this shouldnt we !

You need to figure out what you’re upset about here, OP. Moaning about nurses watching a bit of TV during a quiet period makes you look a bit unhinged. Now, when that didn’t get the reaction you’d hoped for, you’re drip feeding other vague but serious “concerns” about conduct.

So which is it?

And @icanhelpyou how dare you pin the blame for Charlotte Bevan on the nurses? That was a tragic but complicated case. Charlotte’s own mother said that no one single person or action was to blame. In fact, if you’re going to bring that case into it, how about quoting the serious case review which says “professionals are working in increasingly pressured environments with limited resources, yet being required to deliver services with ever-higher expectations.”

And no, I’m not a nurse before anyone asks. I don’t think that anyone who works for the NHS is beyond reproach but people are piling on with stories that don’t at all match up with the OP’s original post, which is that some nurses dared to sneak a look at their phones during a quiet period.

Easiest thing to do is go private if you are not satisfied with the level of care your DD is getting.

Although I doubt going private would be any different.

That is bad. The lady that always comes to mind is Charlotte Bevan who just walked out of hospital with her newborn and jumped off a cliff. The nurses all huddled around the snack machine.

That is completely not true. Nobody was huddled around a snack machine. Talk about a massive exaggeration. Charlotte walked past one nurse who was on a break getting a snack and I don't think was even from the same ward that Charlotte was on.

Medications being late can happen due to other departments. When I was on a ward, the pharmacy were either late in bringing up medicine or the doctor with keys to the medical trolly was busy.

Bed or any baths were not done - Is this making beds and giving sponge baths? The bath is a bit off if they had arranged with a patient to do that, but it's unlikely they were watching TV instead. Makin a bed is not a huge deal unless it's needed.

Food orders were forgotten now and then - Nurses are expected to take food orders in this hospital? That's awful.

It's unprofessional. I don't care how busy they've been, blatantly watching television is unprofessional.

You do not know that they weren’t taking an informal break because they knew they weren’t going to get their formal break.