THE CLAP. Let's settle this. If you work for the NHS, what do you think of it?

[JesusInTheCabbageVan]

YABU = I'd rather it stopped now.

YANBU = I still like it.

Yes it's yet another Clap thread, sorry. But all the other threads seem to be populated mostly by people (me included) second-guessing what NHS workers actually want.

Non-NHS workers: if you can, please sit on your hands for this thread. No sneaky voting just because you have strong views on the matter.

I don't like it. The people are clapping are the same people for whom nothing was ever good enough before this all started. The backlash about closed services has already begun and is gathering pace.

I like it when I hear it but would not miss it if it went. What annoys me more is people suggesting that Tories are hypocritical to clap. It worries me that we have such huge intolerance for differences of opinion and it seems incredible to me that there are people who think no NHS / essential workers vote for the Tories. But that would be a whole new thread.

We all know the main purpose of the clapping, and has been a nice gesture if you took part. I was wondering how long it would go on though. I think some people also liked the chance to go out, and chat to the neighbours at the same time, in these stay at home times. People round here, take drinks out with them, as in mugs of tea , or alcohol, and hand biscuits and cakes around.

Needs to stop, it's ridiculous now.

I did it the first time but I am not doing it every bloody week. Plus at 8pm it always wakes up my toddler and baby because the idiots around here seem to be competing as to who can make the most noise

It's just getting worse in my street every week. All down to one Eamon who has taken it upon herself to get the neighbours out because it was too quiet. She can fuck right off.

The actual clapping and banging seems a little silly now but I like how, on my street anyway it brings every household out and we all have a little wave and a (socially distanced) chat. It feels very neighbourly, very we are all going through this together. I love how it’s families, young couples, older people.
The only other time I get this feeling of social communion is during, well, communion at church, particularly the sharing of the peace.
I’d be sad if it went, we still have a long, long way to go before this is all over.

Woman, not Eamon

DP is NHS and hates it, our neighbours are super judgy that we don't do it...

My fiancé is nhs frontline and he can't stand it.

I don’t do it and never have, I feel the same about all the signs everywhere. No one really appreciated or was interested in my job before so why start now. Also I do my job because I love it not for claps

1forall - handing biscuits and cakes round? What is good about that? What's the point of social distancing if people do that? It's hardly protecting the NHS they're so earnestly clapping for, is it?

It's time for lockdown to end because it's farcical now.

NHS 27 years. Please stop now. First one/two was genuinely lovely. Thank you.
But we are all just doing our jobs, long term I wd like to see the nursing bursary brought back and some joined up thinking to support the NHS... things like a nationwide computer system so hospitals and allied community services can communicate efficiently. Abolition of pointless dashboards and targets. And for staff to feel they will be listened to if they have a concern or a more efficient way of doing things... still have to call estates to change a lightbulb anyone? ....
maybe just me! #cynicalorca

I work for the NHS. I'm on the fence about it.

Mind you, our neighbours opposite come out and clap but really I would far rather they obey social distancing and not keep having their friends and family over.

As a PP said, it would be more beneficial for everyone to vote for a party that would give us a fairer society. Not too far to the left and not too far to the right so everyone has a chance to live a decent life.

Really interesting to read the responses, thank you.

For those asking - currently 249 votes and 92% YABU.

I hate that the government has set up the great British public to do this clapping in the first place. It should never have been started, it's just become awkward and uncomfortable now for many people and stopping it is going to be excuciating.

If it had to be then it should never have been to skewed to the NHS workers; many of whom are and always were at far lower risk than other frontline workers who were barely acknowleged. That's disgraceful. All service workers should be paid properly and protected, as far as possible, from harm.

If we don't start asking the right questions at election time now - and make demands as a nation, then nothing will change. Time to 'walk the walk' and not just bang saucepans for attention.

It’s pretty clear from the OP that the clap was never really for NHS and key workers, just for the NHS. People want to be able to treat other key workers as disposable, hence abuse by customers doubling under the pandemic.

@Stripesgalore apologies, that's down to my ignorance rather than intentionally trying to leave anyone out.

I will continue to update on the results, for those who are kindly abstaining from voting.

Also, please do feel free to vote if you are a keyworker of any kind.

The first one was ok, if a bit cringe. I've felt it was never really about showing support but more for showing off on social media or showing off to neighbours. I agree with PP about freebies for staff too - absolutely no problem with ICU staff and colleagues on Covid wards benefiting, especially when there were shortages in supermarkets, but my own colleagues were (I felt) milking it, with Insta filtered PPE selfies all over Facebook when we were in a low risk area and hadn't had a single case, never mind that we work in Maternity where we are separate from the main hospital and really quite protected!

I liked it the first week. Then we were we warned that the press were paying £2000 for a photograph of NHS nurses and Drs not socially distancing during the clap (I’m not defending that, but I can see that if you have worked in close proximity to someone for 12 hours,, you may not think a minutes distance is necessary) and the whole thing turned ugly for me. Plus the whole shaming of neighbours for not clapping situation. It should stop.

I work in a hospital near the beach.
Its been rammed the past week, and you can bet alot of them bloody clap.
I can do without the clap 😉

I work for the NHS but not on a Covid unit but my daughters do. They are struggling to cope, mentally. I clap for them . But it’s a free country , don’t clap , nobody is forcing you.

You can emplioy all the mental gymnastics and cognitive dissonance you like, vdb, but if you vote for them you vote for a party who has massively underfunded the NHS and has plans to privatise it. Its that simple. When you vote for a party you make certain decisions, and you dont get to ignore that fact just because of how it makes you feel.

its showy now. it seems to be who can be more noticable in the street. pots and pans, car horns, coloured smoke bombs wafting along the street, fireworks! I hear of many parents whose kids with autism who fear every thursday due to the loud noises. I've had people question those who don't clap, who make louder noises so that 'they can hear them at the hospital' we are close to the hospital but not that close. Just stop it already and hope you never have to say thank you to nhs staff for saving you or a loved one. better healthy than sick.

It needs to end

Fact is less than 20% of intensive care beds are currently occupied by virus patients and whole swathes of NHS workers have little work to do and are making tik tok videos. The NHS was never "overwhelmed" by the virus

They won't lose their jobs in the coming recession and also benefit from discounts in lots of supermarkets at the moment - very few NHS staff card holders are actually working on virus patient wards so it irritates me to see it when lots of people have lost their jobs or took massive pay cuts and are struggling to pay the bills

A better gesture would be to sack the high paid non patient treating bureaucrats in the NHS and give nurses a pay rise. Get back to basics of care that don't require nurses to obtain a degree etc

Glad to hear this as I have been feeling increasingly uncomfortable about it, especially with the virtue signalling from politicians. It would be much better if those clapping stopped taking their health and the NHS for granted.