NHS staff dancing..

[Whitefeather01]

I couldn't see another tread on this. But if there is, please link it.

What's your opinion on this? AIBU to think this is in very bad taste?

Unless you work for the NHS, you have no fucking idea how hard and stressful things are right now. So if they want to do a little dance to brighten up their day then so what? Miserable bastards, some of you

I mean, you've got me there, I don't work for the NHS.

But I did speak to my friend who's an endoscopy nurse last night who's fairly pissed off and worried that she can't be providing care for people because they have very much overestimated the demand in her area.

It pisses her off that they've got to the stage of daft videos, when what they want is a sensible, careful return to treating patients who are suffering because of delayed treatment and investigation (including her own MH treatment).

All you miserable po faced sods twirling your pearls, you have no idea ! We all deal with stuff in different ways, when my colleagues and I get together ( nurses ) , the humour is dark and irreverent. A bit of dancing is a release. I don’t watch them, but I totally get why they’re doing it. No disrespect is intended. I would have thought that was obvious.

They were bored as all our elective work has been cancelled so we have next to no patients

If some hospital wards are next-to-empty, it's probably not a good idea to rub this in people's faces.

I don't think the videos are the end of the world. I think they should probably stop. I also think the NHS should establish separate hospitals where COVID19 patients are not admitted, so that other treatments can be carried out. That is what they've done in South Korea and other countries.

So going on this thread there’s a significant proportion who have a problem with the social media aspect rather than the dancing itself.

Exactly, whatever they need to do to get through the days- dark humour, dancing, eating free pizza isn't an issue, imo posting it on social media is. But anyway, each to their own.

I work for the NHS and these threads irritate me no end.

If doing a 30 second TikTok dance improves morale of the staff who are working tirelessly in quite frankly the hardest times of our working (and non working) lives then leave them to it.

I say that after working 63 hours in 5 days. And it that time, a bit of cheer would have been welcome.

I knew it would be a matter of time before the NHS would be turned on, Although I thought it would last a little longer than this.

I’m an icu nurse and have been for many many years. Since this started I’ve developed anxiety and now take medication so I can work. I have pressure sores on my nose and chin from my tight mask, it’s hot at the minute too so when your fave sweats and gets wet your skin becomes chapped. My hands are dry and cracked from sweating in gloves. Emotionally, I am devastated at the scenes I’ve witnessed. I’m petrified of bringing the virus home, spreading it to my husband and children. I’ve lifted the life insurance out and discussed with my DH in the instance that I catch the virus and die. I’ve also made provisions to go and live elsewhere to enable me to continue to work and keep my family safe if I deem it necessary. This scenario is true of the majority of icu nurses.

I do this with a smile on my face. Happy to work overtime and stay late. I always knew I may face natural and man made disasters, and I know this is my duty. I paint the biggest smile on my face, try to laugh and joke throughout the shift for both staff and patients who need light relief from their current fate. But I vomited with nerves before work the other day and cried at handover... nobody asked why, we know why.

Please don’t mistake the jovial videos as arrogance... literally trying to hold it together and make the work place less frightening. I don’t even recognise my unit these days. The empty wards frighten us nurses... a sight we’ve never seen before. Preparing for the inevitable.

So while we go to work, please feel free to criticise the coping mechanisms of staff and for accepting the donations of food etc... it gives you something to do, and hand on my heart I couldn’t feel any worse than I do now!

In addition, as nurses we have family and friends too. My mum has taken comfort in the lighthearted videos, rather than thinking I’m crying and vomiting on my way to work.

I get dark humour, of course I do. I spend my days dealing with death and despair myself.

But no way would I ever consider videoing myself at work and putting it on social media. I wouldn’t like myself very much if the family or a suicide or drug death victim i had earlier been dealing with was to see me badly prance around.

Keep the black humour in-house.

YABVU

I had to take DS into (2 different) large London A&Es this week. Believe me these scenes of maybe rare joy and fun for these amazing staff are not the norm. Hospitals right now are like a movie set for Contagion or Outbreak. They are clinical, cold, ghost towns with nurses and doctors and receptionists all trying to do their best in the most intense, surreal, scary environment. They are truly risking their own lives to save 100s of others.

Let them have a few moments of lighthearted fun- if they don't they truly will go mad.

I think it is fine - some will want to do dancs and others not. We are all different, Just as some want to do claps for people and others don't. As long as we do not move to a north Korean type police state where if you don't join in compulsory worship of the leader or in this case the God NHS you are in trouble At present you can still say you don't like or need or want the NHS or you think some of the 1.4m people who work in it may not all be angels then let people dance.

I feel the same about policemen who over the years have got in trouble for doing some kind of public dance thing - a bit mean. Just let them get on with it.

With respect dietcoke if the wards are empty and they are bored enough to choreograph and film elaborate dance routines, then they are not working ‘tirelessly’ are they?

Oh ffs! If nhs staff want to stand on their heads buck naked they have earned the right! Some people are so uptight

@Pippa12 you are amazing! From one nurse to another thankyou for everything you do! I hope some of the people on this thread berating staff for having a little sing and dance or a free snack read your post and try understand what staff are going through. Our teams favourite motto is, if we don’t laugh we’ll cry

I see both sides. I work in social care and my colleagues and family members who are in the same field are risking their health during each shift they work but they do it because they care about their clients and know what will happen if they don't turn up for a shift. I'm in the vulnerable category so I'm working from home so I'm very lucky I am not in that position. I can definitely say in the health and social care profession we can have a dark sense of humour, do silly things like the dances to keep spirits up. Could be crying one minute and then crying laughing the next. It's the only way to keep yourself sane. I wouldn't deny the NHS workers doing whatever keeps them sane. But I don't think it's appropriate to put it on social media. I was at a necessary hospital appointment recently and got terrible care. I didn't get a chance to ask any questions. Didn't get looked in the eye once and was rushed out. I didn't say anything as I felt the staff were under huge pressure and didn't want to add to it but if I'd seen a tik tok video from that hospital I'd be very annoyed. Logically I know my care wouldn't have been influenced whether staff did the video or not but it's the optics of it. It would also mean I'd have less patience and understanding during my next appointment. Social media doesn't need to be involved in how staff unwind. Where I work is very strict on this and rightly so. Do it with your colleagues and keep it amongst your team, don't share it. If the point of it was doing a dance and watching it back with your colleagues to give ye all a giggle then there is no need to post it on social media afterwards

If nhs staff want to stand on their heads buck naked they have earned the right!

I don’t understand this. In what way have they “earned” it?

If it helps them cope with the incredible levels of stress they must be dealing with I'm not going to be one who criticises them.

Exactly, because that would really piss off a healthy 71 year old whose cancer is now spreading unchecked because there is no acute bed to waste on possible side effects

This would of course be awful but I feel it’s missing the point spectacularly. That same 71 year old would currently be at more risk of covid than the cancer at the moment. Instead of months covid could reduce that to weeks and potentially in a system that doesn’t have the capacity to even guarantee them comfort.

Its a choice between shit or shit at this moment in time but it’s been carefully considered and the least shit option has been chosen whilst the framework for normal business can be planned and implemented. Nobody is with holding treatment for fun and there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes the make sure that services resume as safely as possible as soon as they can.

Everyone knows that this isn’t enough for everyone who needs it right now but what exactly can they do? It’s also worth considering that you really don’t want to risk the health and lives of the specialist doctors and nurses who provide this treatment. When services start back up they’re useless without the knowledge to implement them. Recruiting that knowledge isn’t going to be easy, it’s not like we can do what we usually do and import fully trained staff who can hit the ground running.

Actually it shows they do get breaks and do have their phones at work AND that they aren’t that busy.

Oh yeh, everyone is dying in care homes and in their houses instead.

They aren’t protecting US.

@Littlebluetruck

Turning up!

I’m NHS but not clinical and even I’ve considered just walking and I’m not based in a high risk role or area (apart from distancing rules which leave a lot to be desired...).

Seriously, it takes balls of steel to keep walking through those doors at the moment.

Nicknacky I agree. Food should not be donated to those who have access to/funds for food. It’s great to ‘boost morale’ meanwhile there’s millions of people struggling to put food on the table as they’re now out of work. Obviously it’s up to those who donate the food but I’m sure most NHS staff would prefer a wage reflective of their skills and effort rather than a free pepperoni pizza

@sundowners I hope your DS is OK, much love and thoughts from me.

NHS staff would prefer a wage reflective of their skills and effort rather than a free pepperoni pizza

I think there’s room for both. Domino’s can’t give everyone a pay rise but they can give them a margarita.

Theres degrees of usefulness isn’t there? A small gesture that lasts a moment doesn’t negate the need or desire for a larger one.

The staff on Covid wards are probably doing 12 hour shifts and are not going to have the energy to dance. Staff work in the NHS to help people. They are seeing a higher level of death than is normal and are frightened for their own families so a lot are going to be emotionally as well as physically drained.

I dont watch the videos and I think the people who put them on social media are unwise. However they were probably expecting to be drafted onto Covid wards and some will have gone there. You should be looking at this as soldiers joking to deal with the fear before going over the top of the trench.