Thankyou but please stop

[MingeofDeath]

Front line NHS worker here. Thank you for your amazing support, we are working unbelievably hard in extremely stressful conditions, so thankyou, thankyou, thankyou.
There is just one teeny little thing though; we are not heroes, just normal people going about our jobs. I don't want to see kids of NHS workers waving their pictures around on telly. I'm finding it a bit much. Please don't fetishise us
I know that AIBU

Why would anyone on here be able to do anything about this? Genuine question.

Thanks minge.

I think instead of all the clapping and whatever, people should take a pledge not to vote for a political party that doesn't make investment in nhs, including pay rises for nhs staff, a central priority.

There are a lot of people out there saying the nhs is full of heroes but who were also happy to vote for a party that massively underfunded it and vilified junior doctors.

Im not key or essential worker. Never voted Tory. For the most part incredible treatment (not Covid19 unfortunately quite a lot) from NHS.

I don’t know what to do in terms of cheering etc. I know some staff in all the services including supermarkets bus drivers etc really like it, others not bothered and others actively dislike.

It’s like a cult now

It cringes me a bit.
I am nhs ward staff. But I don’t think it’s being fetishised.

It's mostly virtue signalling.

I am also NHS staff- YANBU.
People should vote in future for parties that prioritise the NHS. People should work on getting and staying healthy- following guidelines on alcohol and BMI etc in order to reduce the strain every year on the NHS. People should stop smoking and other high risk habits to prevent illness or injury that cost the NHS each year. People should treat ALL NHS staff nicely and respectfully- as should all NHS staff treat patients and their families.
But people should stop clapping and making a fuss.

The majority of us know that it's a small percentage of NHS staff that are actually working in ICU with the Covid patients. The majority of them arent, as it's a massive organisation. But people group it together and put halos on every single NHS worker. It's just not realistic to think they are all saints. Millions of other people, not key workers, are still going to work, still supporting the finance side of the country etc, and we dont put hdlos on them.

@Isadora2007 spot on.

@ludicrouslemons. So that’s no party then, hey?

I'm paediatric nhs staff. I look at it from the children's angle of having something nice to do. They often draw us pictures as thank yous.
I've joined with clapping if not at work not for myself but it's all older isolating neighbours that come out ( social distanced at their own doors) it's nice to see them all waving at each other and they obviously feel like they are doing some good clapping so why not.

In my eyes those staff working in covid heavy areas are amazing and deserve the praise they get. We had a ridiculously heavy winter in paeds with flu+ like I've never seen before it was so so hard some shifts nearly broke me. But we just got on with it like they are I'm sure but this is so so different.

Personally I don't mind the clapping either way. I do want it to wake people up on how lucky we are to have to the NHS. To encourage proper funding not just for wages but for better facilities and equipment. Not to forget that the NHS and all staff will be fighting covid19 way after lockdown ends and consider their use of NHS services.

FWIW my sister, a nurse in London, said the same thing. It's difficult though as my neighbours who are all elderly and in isolation get so much pleasure stepping outside and seeing neighbours once a week..... I tried not to join in last week and my husband was really cross. So he went outside and I opened the window to clap.... daft really.

@TabbyMumz don't you think there is fallout that runs to those not dealing with Covid patients or are those key workers at home. Strange position to take.

I'm not a clapper, and don't see the point if people are only going to vote Conservative at each and every election.

I agree Isasdora.

So which party would have produced money to pour into the NHS? And, in addition, still funded education, social care, transport, etc? Where does everyone think this magic money pot would have come from if any other party had been voted in?

I would just like to say that there is Covid in the nhs outside of Covid wards. My brother is currently caring for 6 patients in a psychiatric ward with Covid who are being made comfortable. He does not have PPE as he’s not a qualified nurse. I can’t quite believe this myself but it’s true.

There’s this misconception that all Covid patients are in special wards with isolated staff. Suspected cases are on normal wards too. I have spent a lot of time in hospital over the last few months so have witnessed this. It is affecting a lot of nhs staff including domestic and other jobs.

@DrManhattan because maybe there are people on here that don't realise that not all NHS staff welcome the attention?

@Sueaxlbrick it’s about priorities. The slashing of social Care budgets and other local services by more than a third did not help our economy. Economists agreed it was paltry compared to the savings that could have been made centrally. Eg there’s money to send everyone a letter and £10k to set up a home office but not to get my db a mask? These are small examples but there are much larger ones. It’s always about priorities.

I can see why people find it cringey whether they are nhs workers or not and I've seen quite a few of these threads now, however my new neighbours are both doctors, one of whom works on ICU and they are out every thursday clanging their pans so many nhs workers are getting something out of it.
Yabu to ask people to stop. I join it because I like doing it and it reminds me to think about the amazing job the nhs are doing. I dont do it to show off as some people suggest, as we have huge hedges so no one could see us doing it.
I get your point about voting for labour (as I do and always will) but even Tory voters are allowed to support and cheer on the nhs you know!
Let's hope Boris has a long memory.

"TabbyMumzdon't you think there is fallout that runs to those not dealing with Covid patients or are those key workers at home. Strange position to take."
I think there is some fallout yes, but not massively. A lot of nhs staff have been asked to take their leave now as there is nothing to do because operations have been cancelled. And yes, an awful lot of nhs key workers are working from home. The vast vast majority are not saints, just workers going about their jobs. Jobs they chose to do. Masses of them now have nothing to do.

Yes I would agree with whoever said it’s mostly virtue signalling. They’re not fetishising you, it’s all about how they can appear to others.

Look it won’t last forever, I don’t see any harm in it either.

People are trying to show their appreciation, perhaps clumsily, in very difficult times.

I think it was really nice once and it was a spontaneous outpouring of gratitude and support.

However week after week is too much (imo) and things also got muddied with some people trying to encourage a clap for Johnson. ()

"I'm not a clapper, and don't see the point if people are only going to vote Conservative at each and every election."

I dont get this stance either. Weve had labour governments in and the funding to the NHS was no different?

When I'm out clapping I'm not just thinking of the NHS but anyone who's risking getting CV, be they bus drivers, supermarket workers or ITU nurses.

I like it because I think it supports a community spirit that we have lost in the UK to some extent with the politics we have had in this country for the last few years and the press who are all about 'getting what you can for yourself' and not about 'we're all in this together'.