Supermarket NHS times

[Tiredoutteacher2020]

I'm a key worker (teacher). All the supermarkets near me now have an NHS worker hour from 7-8am. This is the time I'd shop on the way to work. The shops are too busy on my return and I don't feel safe when the shops are busy. The shops are also empty by 6pm on my return. So when do I shop? Weekends are manic and busy. I understand NHS should take priority but without children being looked after many key workers wouldn't be able to work. I feel a bit let down and a bit worried about staying healthy as unlikely I'll get fresh food now. Aibu?

Unfortunately at the current time I do think frontline NHS should get set times. I mean frontline, those actually working face to face with patients. If they are doing nights then when are they meant to get food when it is all sold out? NHS staff are working extra hours and are exhausted, and potentially carrying the virus if they are dealing with incoming sick patients. Don’t you think that means they should be able to do a food shop?

"NHS staff are working extra hours and are exhausted, and potentially carrying the virus if they are dealing with incoming sick patients. Don’t you think that means they should be able to do a food shop?"

Yes I do but teachers are also doing extra hours, missing the Easter holidays etc and I need a food shop too.

We're also potentially carrying the virus as we're around so many people a day.

I will look up groups who might support.

Marieo that’s true I don’t do 12 hour shifts

But I am doing a lot of overtime as many of us even if not directly frontline (as those on the icu wards) many areas in the nhs are putting in extra hours as working in a very different way to usual, working in plans that are constantly changing and covering for staff who are off but we are not under the same pressure as those in icu and wouldn’t claim to be

I’m working in forensic mh so preparing to work with those that will become ill - that is frightening

And having to drop and pick up from school (single parent totally on my own)

I feel for you op sorry wish I could help out

I’m a social worker, neighbour a delivery driver, family member a carer. Go to a smaller shop, stop being so damn entitled and give our nurses and doctors every curtesy you can muster because if you don’t need them, someone you love probably will.

Did you see the pics from Tesco today with their NHS worker hour? It was absolute bedlam. Adding more eligibility to that would be mad.

Its 5 hours a week that you don't get. Just 5 hours. Out of what, 80? 90?

This outbreak has really proven that you cannot do something nice for a group without everyone else also wanting special treatment.

I was at Tesco at 8:50 this morning. More fruit and veg but the freezers were nearly empty and there was still no pasta. People were queuing for checkouts by 9:15 even though they didn't open until 10. I joined a queue at 9:40. It ran the length of the store, back again, and then was heading up the store again...and this was for self-scanning. They had to stop people coming in at 10 while they cleared the NHS queues. I can't see this happening again next week...it was absolute carnage.

Why don't they do different days for different key workers? I feel a bit of a fraud because I work for the NHS but I'm not front line.

stop being so damn entitled
She clearly isn’t. She’s scared, tired and stressed. It isn’t top trumps for who is or should be the most of these things. Have some compassion.

I don't want special treatment. I want it to be open for everyone and therefore fair. I give up.

The NHS are doing amazing things. So are lots of other people.
I have never been accused of being entitled before. I never knew it was entitled to want to be able to get some food and to do so safely.

I will be in teaching your children in the morning if you're a key worker. Thanks for everything.

This is something you need to address with y our Union- I mean the working hours, not the supermarket. You should NOT be working 8-6, it's gonna make you more ill than going to a busy supermarket. They either need to bring in supply to cover some of the colleagues, or have SLT take more hours, or collapse classes (now you will not see as many kids anymore anyways). It's not safe, it's not healthy, contact your union!

I think you need to find time to go at the weekends.

SLT has been decimated with temperatures and coughs. We aren't able to use supply as it's adding in another risk of contamination.

None of the supermarkets have a daily NHS time.

Some have certain days and some supermarkets aren't doing it at all.

This is quite useful to see which supermarkets are and aren't doing this...

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/metro.co.uk/2020/03/21/coronavirus-uk-supermarkets-open-nhs-staff-12433917/amp/

I feel for teachers in this. It's entirely right and good that people are recognising the enormity of what NHS workers are being asked to do, but school staff are also going above and beyond at the moment.
I just hope people are sensible about things. DH is NHS management - not frontline, but is far more likely to come into contact with the virus through his job (meetings with ITU clinicians) than most people. He and his team have been working incredibly hard this week to put systems in place to support the frontline staff dealing with this. He won't be making any use of the many benefits people are currently offering NHS staff because our need is no greater than anyone else's (and less great than many - there is nowhere more secure to work than the NHS in the current climate and we have seen many friends lose their livelihoods over this). But there may be people in roles like his (eg single parents/people with complicated home lives) for whom it would be useful. I think to some extent, we all just need to take no more than we need.
Like others have said, I imagine there will be local support in your area. I've volunteered formally through the volunteer bureau and informally through a facebook page to help people in my area. If you were here, I would happily do your shopping.

I don’t get it, you don’t work shifts and have every weekend off
Just go at the weekend, it will be busy, I get that, I went this weekend.

My local supermarket has.

Difficult for you, but I don't understand why you don't feel safe shopping when the shops are busy; you are going into school and mixing with children anyway, so the risks don't seem much worse.
You can be quite targeted going in when it's busy; today we went late, near closing time, and there was bread, milk, loo roll etc and lots of fresh stuff - I was surprised.
I can't see a world where it would be sensible to expand to all key workers as there are a lot of categories; NHS has to be absolute priority along with older people, and the rest of us have to find ways round it.

Just because your usual supermarket does this doesn’t mean that they all will, just go somewhere else.

I don't feel safe as I feel like I'm around germs all day. I could pass things on to anybody in a busy shop. There's no chance for 2m apart. I just don't feel safe myself either at any point when I'm in a public place anymore whether that's work or shops.
I'm leaving this now as I'm getting quite overly upset.

Did you try asking your local supermarket and explain your situation? You are supporting NHS staff

I’m an NHS nurse with a DH who is in the group that is needing to be ‘shielded’ so we can’t be in the same room as each other anymore. I’m afraid I’d unable to relate to your concerns and am upset about the attitude towards protected time for NHS employees in the shops.

I despair of MN sometimes. OP is not being entitled. She is worried. OP you are getting some horrible responses and this is just another teacher bashing thread. I'm fed up of teachers not being able to do anything right on MN. I think you should step away from this thread now for your own well being. I'm considering stepping away from MN completely because I'm fed up of teachers being treated this way despite everything we do and how much we care about the children and our professional responsibilities.

I'd offer to help if I knew you. Do you have any friends that you could ask?
Has the school tried approaching the supermarkets directly for help with school dinners?