Should NHS staff go ahead in queues?

[Supermummy4]

I have only done a few times, and got some evil looks from the others queuing. I was knackered and needed some essentials and needed to pick my children up from school as I have hardly seen them so thought 'just this once, again'-might not do it again!
It sort of felt like all the clapping in the world and rainbows doesn't mean much in the real world, but I might be a bit more careful about waving my lanyard around in the future (and yes, i'm core ward NHS staff working on covid wards fwiw).
Any thoughts from others very welcome.

@chloemol if you're referring to me, I was only talking about going on way home from work when working long hours while the whole country was locked down in April.

Tbh there's so many variations across the country in terms of size of queues etc, there's not much point debating it. It's a benefit supermarkets are offering and if someone feels they want to take it up, they're fully entitled to do so while it lasts no matter what anyone on here wants to say.

Bit of a tricky one.
I'm front line emergency services...I must admit it was a bit galling to see my local doctors receptionist (doctors surgery is closed) skipping to the front of the long queue I was waiting in!

No queue jumping now please. Other people doing longs hours too.

I'm frontline NHS nurse in mental health and don't do it. The only exception was one day I was out on home visits and needed to use the loo. I went to the front of the queue, showed my ID, explained I only wanted the loo and was let in.

There could be care home staff, bus drivers, police/prison officers in the queue, all important imo.

Why are nhs more important than others? There's huge numbers of people who are essential for society to function, the lorry driver to the electricity network engineer to the bin crews, social workers, police, farmers, plumbers ... i do kind of object to blanket nhs discounts when drs are some of the better paid people in society.

I think nhs staff should be rewarded for their work throughout the crisis with extra annual leave rather than random perks

No.

@coffeechocolatecoffee

I was answering the post

Bit touchy response though have I touched a nerve?

Why pick on me, lots of others have said similar, I don’t see you responding to them

I think that one of the things that people are getting frustrated about now is that some people have divided the population into key workers and those furloughed. It feels like the millions of people who have been working throughout, often long hours, also home schooling, maybe doing shopping for vulnerable people are being forgotten.

I do mind someone queue jumping, sorry. I am one of those who worked throughout at the same time as dealing with two stressed teenagers who have fragile mental health at the best of times. One day I was in the Waitrose queue for nearly half an hour and, as I got to the front, an NHS worker jumped the queue without even acknowledging me....well, that day was the onewhere I had precisely one hour to do the shopping before a call with a client about some work they wanted me to do (which incidentally is about the impact of covid), followed by a call with my daughters school about her CAMHS referral and both kids were at home (17 and 13 so not a problem normally) because my husband had to travel to London for an emergency meeting about, guess what, covid 19.

My point is not to make myself and my family exceptional, but to point out that non key workers are also tired, exhausted, depressed, overworked and possibly also doing something involved in the pandemic.

I would always let an NHS worker go in front of me. I've never seen someone in the queue though.

Apologies @chloemol, I thought you were referring to my answer to another poster.

FWIW the second part of my post wasn't aimed at you in any way

If you're frontline NHS and on your way to / from a busy shift and need to whizz into Tesco for some milk and veg - yes of course you should be allowed to jump the queue.

If you're an outpatients receptionist wearing your NHS lanyard with your mufti clothes on your day off - nope. Join the queue like the rest of us.

At first, when shops reduced opening hours and there were shortages, there was justification for special treatment for key workers.

Now shops are open longer hours again, and shelves are full again, there's no need for it anymore.

The vast majority of NHS workers I know have either had the last 4 months of on full pay doing no work at all, or have been working minimal reduced hours from home. These people should absolutely not have priority at all, especially over the many non-NHS workers who have been working hard whilst they have been safe at home, such as supermarket workers, carers, delivery drivers, food production workers, bin men, milkmen etc

Some NHS staff have been genuine heroes, putting their lives at risk on the front line to treat Covid patients. I cannot thank these people enough, and would happily let them skip the queue.

So the question is too unspecific IMO.

I'm not keen on "whole of NHS" rewards (outside of their own, extremely generous T&C regarding holiday, pensions, flexible working etc, which they are very much entitled to as part of the package they agreed). I appreciate they're mostly a PR/Marketing ploy though.

If you're frontline NHS and on your way to / from a busy shift and need to whizz into Tesco for some milk and veg - yes of course you should be allowed to jump the queue .If you're an outpatients receptionist wearing your NHS lanyard with your mufti clothes on your day off - nope. Join the queue like the rest of us.

Completely agree with the above post. There are definitely some pisstakers, as always. I know a receptionist on mat leave wearing her lanyard to Tesco to jump the queue, which I think is pretty shit. Also know a neighbour (not Nhs) who borrows her nurse sisters pass, which I think is absolutely outrageous.

But of course there's no way of policing it.

I think it would have been better if actual front line medical staff and care workers were given a "queue pass" or something issued to them at the beginning of lockdown, but of course that also would have been hard to manage.

I’m an NHS worker and while it’s obviously lovely in a way I’m finding this hero worship a bit tiresome. NHS workers have the most stable jobs in the country right now- so many friends of mine who are being made redundant for self employed and struggling deserve the discount far more. In terms of jumping the queue again unless I was on my way to shift and literally couldn’t wait I would queue.

I don’t do it as a blue light card holder as I’m working from home as are many so BLC is a bad way to give priority

As for nhs my friends are mainly all nhs and apart from one who’s a consultant the others are working less than normal and some only part time work and part time home so I disagree with their priority

I think the queue jumping for NHS made sense when there were shortages everywhere and NHS workers didn’t have the time other people did to go to several different shops etc to try to find toilet paper etc. Or that they’d worked overnight and just needed to get to the shop before bed, they could jump the insane queues that were everywhere.

Now that things are quieter, I’m not sure why it should still be a thing. I empathise that you were “knackered, just wanted to get to see your kids” etc but I feel as if there are other workers who could say that same thing.

That having been said, I wouldn’t bother shooting daggers at you. That’s a bit uncalled for.

I am thankful I hardly have to queue because I wfh and shop at quietest times. I always turn back if I know I have to queue for more than 10mins, I never even had a chance to see anyone jumping the queue.

There are a lot of people struggle with the long queue too, they might be as tired as you after a long shift, invisible disabilities, they might even be more desperate than you, not only they can't jump the queue they have to let others get infront of them too. I can imagine some of them get upset.

I think it will get more tricky as other jobs open up. For example, if someone has done a hard day with late night shopping in a shop, should they have to stand back for the NHS when they clock off at 8pm or whatever? Don't they deserve to get home and feed their kids?

It was fine when we were, for the most part, all in lockdown. I could stand in a queue for an hour and not really worry too much - there wasn't anything else I desperately needed to do. But, as workplaces go back to 40 plus hour weeks, everyone who is at work faces that queue for food at the end of a hard day - maybe not on par with a hard day in a Covid ward but no-one waits in a queue for the fun of it.

YABU - we don’t know that you are nipping in to a non-essential shopping rather than doing the weekly shopping like the rest of us.
Hardly any Covid patients (friends and family are also working with them) so if you are understaffed that’s not our problem.
I also cringe when healthcare ‘professionals’ attempt to make their shopping in their uniforms! 😡

A couple of weeks ago, when my part of the country was having a cold spell, I stood in a supermarket queue for 20 mins.When I got to the beginning a man suddenly came out of his car and barged straight to the door flashing his phone at the security man.There was an exchange of words between them then the man said "but my wife is inside".He was told to wait for her outside.By that time myself and the other people in the queue were starting to give angry looks, the lady behind me became verbally abusive.The potential queue jumper retreated back to his car.I was then told I could enter and thanked the security.He told me he could see the looks on our faces meant he was in danger of getting lynched he let the man in.

No

I'd happily let NHS staff in front of me. I'm 71, and grateful to anyone who is putting themselves in danger for the rest of us. Obviously some NHS workers are not on the front line, but the organisation needs ancillary workers in order to function. My having to wait a bit longer is nothing compared to the stress NHS workers are under.

Hmm whilst I don’t begrudge you inwardly I would be sighing. I am a key worker , I’ve worked through out the pandemic yet still had to queue in the evening whilst shopping for my family or my elderly parents. My sister works for the nhs she is a doctors secretary but she gets to go to the front of the queue.
I think the nhs queue is too broad in who it allows in and not everyone is front line .

I'm a little bemused by the queue jumpers now.

I understood that this was to enable certain groups access to things that were in short supply. Nothing is in short supply now so the queue jumping needs to stop.

I've no problem with avoiding early hours shopping in order to give the elderly 'first pick'. I've no problem with queuing.

Yesterday I was queuing in the rain in order to shop for someone who is still shielding. The number of people going straight to the front and blagging their way in was ridiculous.

When I got to the front of the queue at least eight people pushed in front of me. A couple with children - my son has ADHD and I'm a full time carer for him. I'm my mum's carer. I'm my uncle's carer. I'm my neighbour's carer. Etc.

No one showed badges.

I've shopped for three separate lots of shielded people throughout lockdown and I've always queued. I work from home normally and I have deadlines to keep. I shop on the days I don't work.

Those carers shopping for elderly/vulnerable as part of their paid duties I have no problem with them queue jumping - on production of identification. To everyone else - QUEUE! We all have our own crosses to bear.

Yesterday, the family which pushed in front of me bought cigarettes from the kiosk and two boxes of lager. What does that have to do with ADHD and 'caring'?

Again - there are no shortages of any items. So queue.