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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Why is my NHS employed SIL 'working from home'?

266 replies

emptyfridge · 02/04/2020 13:55

Really confused as to why the government are taking on thousands of volunteers to support the NHS and we are constantly being told of the immense pressure staff are under when my perfectly capable SIL is working from home apparently catching up on paperwork?

OP posts:
Meinmytree · 02/04/2020 18:12

NHS worker doesn't mean doctor / nurse / porter / anaesthetist / radiologist etc etc. There are so many admin roles that can be done remotely. A friend has an admin role in the NHS and even before this worked remotely some days.

Apparently some of the people manning the 111 line are also WFH.

NaughtyLittleElf · 02/04/2020 18:14

Because, quite frankly, anyone can do the jobs they're asking volunteers to do, deliver prescriptions etc.

We can't train up volunteers to be medical secretaries, run finance departments, pay staff, purchase medicines and equipment and the vast range of other back office functions that keep the NHS running, we're all at home working hard with slow running remote access and virtual meetings in our spare rooms so the clinical staff can do their jobs. I've worked a ridiculous number of hours at home this week and only managed to do my food shopping because I could go to Sainsbury's at 7:30 this morning and get back on time for my first meeting. I'd had two teleconferences by 8:30 yesterday. Staff who can be redeployed into front line role have been.

FFS

Alsohuman · 02/04/2020 18:15

Why is she entitled to school places for her dc when she is working from home and can look after them herself?

Because you can’t concentrate on work and look after children at the same time.

myidentitymycrisis · 02/04/2020 18:16

Even if you have a clinical role your service might be judged as essential, and you can operate remotes

HairyToity · 02/04/2020 18:19

Is she pregnant or vulnerable in any way?My sister in law is working from home on admin and telephone consultations. She is a doctor. She does have type 1 diabetes and is in her late 50s, and this was considered the best option for her.

littleducks · 02/04/2020 18:20

I've been wfh for NHS and sent one of my children to school. When this first started I wasnt sure if I would be redeployed at barely any notice so wanted him settled and secure in school. I wasn't in first wave of redeployment.

I normally do paperwork at home. Our trust sold most of its buildings and if I'm not seeing people face to face in clinic then I don't have a desk. I'm now doing video consultations from home. As others said I can tell my older ones to stay quiet and do their work. I can't have confidential conversations with a six year old walking in and out. The video consultations are designed to keep multiple other children out of clinics or hospital so my one being in school makes sense.

When the situation becomes more desperate and current hcps in hospital are off sick i will be redeployed to an acute service. Trust wants to keep staff in 'reserve' for when that happens.

NaughtyLittleElf · 02/04/2020 18:20

Lots of GPs are working from home, is that OK?

LolaSmiles · 02/04/2020 18:27

Lots of GPs are working from home, is that OK?
Absolutely not, but if they have to be apparently doing things at home they should know better than to use the key worker provision in schools. Sending their children to school so they can do phone consultations and other confidential tasks regarding patient care is the height of cheeky fuckery. They're probably going to misuse their NHS badge to shop during NHS time in supermarkets too.
Grin

FirstTimeMummy1988 · 02/04/2020 18:29

My DH works in Research and Development for the NHS and is working from home. It's my understanding that the volunteers will have more frontline jobs

saraclara · 02/04/2020 18:29

Occupational therapists are going to be snowed under. A lot of their work is ordering stuff for their patients and getting the right things in place for them. A lot of their clients will be in their homes, and visiting them won't be possible. But having worked with OTs I know that they'll have a ton that they can do from home. And they'd be totally wasted doing volunteer work.

madcatladyforever · 02/04/2020 18:30

Most of our managers are working from home as they don't work on the wards or clinics.

GoofyLuce · 02/04/2020 18:31

Stop the fucking bullying. I think she's got the point. Leave it alone now. Why are you all acting like a bunch of children who don't know when enough is enough! Like I said previously you would attack like this in person with this many people against one person so why are you doing it on the internet?

GoofyLuce · 02/04/2020 18:32

Wouldn't *

m0therofdragons · 02/04/2020 18:34

Key workers working from home are not allowed to have children in school.

Different schools are interpreting the rules differently but this statement actually isn't true. We're trying to keep dc home as dh is working from home however he's a key worker and part of the gold command emergency planning team in our county. Would you like him to wing it while caring for 3 dc? He's trying but if it gets too much we are absolutely allowed to send dc to school at any time (both head teachers have confirmed this). I'm key worker in hospital but have elements I can do at home. Hospital is leading by example. The op doesn't sound like she has a clue. Why would you want people making key decisions to do so while distracted?

feelinguseless101 · 02/04/2020 18:34

I work for the NHS. In hospital discharge and elderly care. I'm working from home. We've never been busier. I'm doing 12 hour days, 6 days a week. Partially facilitated by the fact I CAN work from home (our office shuts earlier than I'm currently working).

EveryDayIsADuvetDay · 02/04/2020 18:34

In my experience, poor record keeping in the NHS is a huge time-waster, for patients and consultants.
Maybe "catching up with admin" was a blanket phrase to shut up a nosy, unpleasant SIL?

drspouse · 02/04/2020 18:40

I'm an NHS mental health nurse who's working from home much of the time.
My friend is too and her 5 year old walked in on a therapy call dressed in, er, very skimpy fancy dress!
I think in general her DH keeps the DCs well occupied but if it was just her at home she'd really need some childcare.

Alsohuman · 02/04/2020 18:40

God, I thought you were serious for a moment there @LolaSmiles!

Darkbendis · 02/04/2020 18:42

I am a telephone interpreter and last week I interpreted for a OT who had to talk to a patient for about 45 minutes - the conversation was very focused, detailed, emotional, and very important for the patient. It would have been very difficult and definitely unprofessional for the OT to do her job while children had been running about, asking her questions, telling her things (my children are at home with me, fortunately they are old enough to know they have to stay upstairs while Mum works in the spare room downstairs)

1forsorrow · 02/04/2020 18:43

Some hospitals haven't been busy till this week. My DIL is a doctor, she was saying how quiet it was until yesterday when it all kicked off. Your SIL is probably clearing the decks to be ready for when she is called in. She will be entitled to a school place as you need to book the place and can't just rock up one day and say we are busy so here are the kids.

You sound jealous and fed up and stressed. That's OK we are all living through strange times.

heartsonacake · 02/04/2020 18:49

YABU, bitter and jealous. Work on improving yourself and your own situation rather than being angry at someone else for theirs.

BigRedBoat · 02/04/2020 19:12

I'm an OT (not NHS) and I find your sneering tone about the work your SIL does really unfair. OTs have a really valuable role in hospital discharge, admission avoidance, maintaining community services etc. We're all having to adapt to a different way of working and it's really challenging trying to provide a good service without as much face to face contact.

maggiecate · 02/04/2020 19:25

The amount of work that's been by OTs over the years to get my parents safely discharged from hospital is enormous.

Hospitals are desperately trying to free up beds so your SIL is an absolutely critical part of the multidisciplinary team.

Patients getting discharged without proper support and equipment in place is a disaster waiting to happen - the last thing the NHS needs right now is vulnerable elderly people boomeranging straight back into hospital because they've fallen due to lack of the right care kit.

hardboiledeggs · 02/04/2020 19:42

Doing paperwork suggests shes in admin. Dealing with patients info she would need to make sure it is done correctly so I see why her kids are being sent to school. As for the shopping, bit cheeky but again makes it easier for her to complete her job. You dont seem to know exactly what she does so seems a bit daft to judge her without all the facts tbh

hardboiledeggs · 02/04/2020 19:47

Sorry just seem your update that shes an occupational therapist, yeah YABU as id imagine she'll be swamped at this moment in time

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