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.

Not anymore. I think the hero worshiping is coming to an end now. I’ve seen a huge increase in NHS/Care Workers wearing their uniforms in public. Everyone seems to want a pat on the back for doing their job.

because they are wearing their uniforms you think they want a pat on the back ?
how ridiculous.
try and do their job in the current climate, with the fear of covid.
then speak

because they are wearing their uniforms you think they want a pat on the back? how ridiculous. try and do their job in the current climate, with the fear of covid. then speak

Of course they do. NHS staff and health workers have been advised not to wear their uniforms in public due to health concerns yet lots of people still do.

care workers do shopping for their clients, in their uniform.
i cant speak for the nhs workers though i doubt they work on covid wards, however it has never been allowed.
but they do not represent all nhs

A colleague of mine has been wearing her NHS badge in public since Covid started. She never did that before.

@FurbabyLife you seem to have a lot of contempt for NHS staff. Having spent the past 15 years working for NHS, I don't know of any colleagues that opt to wear their uniforms in public unless popping to the shops on their lunch break. Everyone changes at work, so they are not even worn for the commute. The only exception are staff who work in the community such as district nurses, community midwives, health visitors etc.

Funny how you seem to spot all of the ones who wear them in public and also know of people who wear their badges in public

Its the comments about workers being lazy, having nothing to do, taking advantage, being well paid, providing poor care etc that upset me. We try so hard, put work before our safety, took the risk putting our children in childcare not knowing exactly what would happen, have worked through the worst of it all with no guidance and inadequate PPE, worked extra hours, had annual leave cancelled and are absolutely exhausted. My field is now having a huge peak in activity as a result of the last few weeks so there isn't an end in sight for now but people seem to begrudge the smallest of benefits that the majority of staff openly admit they don't even use.

I don't disagree for a second that there are so many other workers who have worked just as hard and just as deserving of the benefits, I just feel so sad that so many on here have such a low opinion of NHS staff

No.

I’m an ICU dr.

After yet another 16 hr shift (obviously only paid for 12) desperately trying to keep strangers alive, and sometimes failing (including with children), I still don’t deserve to step ahead of someone who is at home caring for their disabled child or elderly relative.

I don’t have the monopoly on exhaustion.

For the fuckwits who cannot stop themselves from commenting on health care workers wearing scrubs.....YET AGAIN FOR THE FIFTIETH TIME: every. single. person I work with wears clean scrubs to work and changes into clean scrubs go go home. We DO NOT put our own families at risk and if you had the intellectual powers of a goat then a moment’s thought would tell you this.

The willful stupidity on this point is truly something to behold. I’m embarrassed for everyone who has posted something so moronic.

No.
NHS staff should absolutely not expect special treatment for picking a particular job over another.

You chose to work for the NHS.
You are just doing what you are paid for & if the NHS didn't pay you, you wouldn't do it.
That doesn't make you special.

FYI Furbaby: staff where I work have been advised not to wear our (clean) scrubs in public because people (I assume with a similar level of intelligence to yours) have been spitting at us and screaming abuse.

Something to be proud of I suppose, for you and others of your ilk.

Never jumped a queue, just used the browsing hour on Sundays and usually the first there. I'm NHS and not ward based, but I have been working FT through this AND caring for/teaching my kids. There has been supply issues when shopping later in the evenings and I can't shop in the week like furloughed workers, so this has ensured I can do a shop as I normally would and not risk visiting tons of shops instead.

If I was on the wards and doing shifts for days on end I might consider jumping queues, but as I'm not I just queue like everyone else.

staff where I work have been advised not to wear our (clean) scrubs in public because people (I assume with a similar level of intelligence to yours) have been spitting at us and screaming abuse.

Thats genuinely utterly fucking disgusting. I would say I hope such people were punished, but I know police are also massively underfunded/understaffed so its unlikely they faced consequences. So will likely continue to act in such a shitty way.

What the hell goes through someones mind to make them spit at anyone, let alone healthcare staff I will never uinderstand.

I have a look at the queue and if it's short I queue and if it's not I don't. Mostly I am shopping at places where there is no/ minimal queue so it doesn't matter.

Honestly after the abuse I've received in role after 20+ years in the NHS, a bit of eye rolling when I jump the queue is not going to bother me.

I don't think they should because you already have priority hours. Is that not enough?

I work in a care home and often work 7.30-21.30 for 12 days straight then 2 days off then back again. I have 3 children under 5. I don't feel I should be more entitled to jump the queue than people with disabilities or police officers etc.

Care workers should get priority too. Loads of people say this but in practise they wouldn't like it. As the lockdown is relaxing we're already getting sent back to the bottom of the pile in the mud. I love my job and think it's a valuable contribution to society but others (especially other health professionals) treat us as the lowest of the low whilst claiming we're equals.

staff where I work have been advised not to wear our (clean) scrubs in public because people (I assume with a similar level of intelligence to yours) have been spitting at us and screaming abuse

When I first qualified nearly 30 years ago we were advised not to even wear badges out in public for fear of being attacked by people thinking we were carrying drugs (though fuck knows where they thought we were keeping them in scrubs, no bags or anything!)

Hearstonacake not entirely sure what your question is to be honest.

To both you and Squashedspring - my point was, a few weeks ago, in the midst of a global pandemic, the people of this country were slapping up rainbows, everywhere, clapping, making a big show of how much they appreciated the NHS. Move on, things calm down and some people are now getting in a complete flap about someone going in front of them in a queue, just seems terribly sad that we’ve slipped right back into our “I’m more entitled than you” phase so soon.

I think the word you used was “excuses” to jump the queue - I just think that as they come, frontline staff, NHS/emergency services/carers had some pretty valid ones.
Just to clarify I am a key worker, office bound throughout, neither NHS nor emergency service, none of these ‘privileges’ apply to me.

not entirely sure what your question is to be honest.

@feebeecat Okay. In one of your very first posts to me you said:

I didn’t think we were quite out of the woods yet? We might need these people to risk their lives for us again yet 🤷‍♀️

By making this comment you were implying that they needed to skip to the front of the queue in case they are needed in the future. So I said to you:

Not allowing key workers to skip to the front of the queue isn’t going to affect whether or not they can successfully do their jobs, which is what you seem to be implying with “we may need them again”. The two things are entirely irrelevant.

You replied saying they weren’t irrelevant. So I put it to you several times and didn’t get an answer: can you explain to me how the ability to skip the queue will affect how a keyworker does their job?

But the fact of the matter is that what you’re saying is that keyworkers require a visible fanfare of pointless clapping and rainbows in order to be appreciated. Apparently being told they are appreciated is not enough.

They have no need or necessity to jump to the front of the queue anymore; there isn’t a shortage now. Having a fair queuing system for everyone doesn’t mean anyone is less appreciated for what they’ve been doing during the pandemic.

While I understand the reason behind the supermarkets policy, after an nurse on a Covid Ward was not able to get any food after a long shift, the response being to give priority to the NHS.

It just seems to me that the supermarkets really need to sort out click and collect and home delivery.

Of course the queues are due to social distancing, but there doesn't seem to be an issue with supply (much) but try and get a delivery slot.

It's so typically British though - one minute a hero, the next they aren't.

We have doctors and nurses in our family and as friends. They’ve all said they wouldn’t want to jump the queue. I wouldn’t mind if NHS staff did go ahead in a queue though.

every. single. person I work with wears clean scrubs to work and changes into clean scrubs go go home

Why do your colleagues need to travel in scrubs @trixiebelden77? You say there are changing facilities so why not travel to work in civvies then put scrubs on?

That what all our theatre and Crit care staff do. Just interested, I appreciate you may have an amber zone to get through but still wouldn’t expect staff to be wearing scrubs contaminated by a journey to work though I know everywhere is different.

Each to their own but I've never jumped a queue and wouldn't do so
There is plenty of time in a working week to go shopping. NHS clinical staff work a seven day rota so have days off when it's quiet to do the shopping then. I certainly never plan shopping on working days other than pick up a few bits on the way home maybe.

Frankly the hero worship that's been going on has been rather embarrassing. I along with every other clinician went into the job with their eyes wide open. I don't want clapping or rainbows or fast passes and the sooner the food parcels we've been donated are redirected to those who actually need them the better.

Also, being seen outside of work in scrubs has been a disciplinary offence for as long as I can remember because of infection control. Covid 19 is the big story currently but MRSA hasn't gone away.

I thinks it's perfectly fine but you will get those who take the piss out of it. !y cousin works in a hospice as a HCA, normal hours but uses it, she also used to thank everyone for clapping for her on a Thursday. She not the brightest star in the sky though.

I wouldn't mind one but if I knew someone was working doubly hard, but as I said some healthcare workers are really milking this whole NHS are heroes stuff.

I'm more than happy to wait a little longer as I'm furloughed and have all the time in the world. There's perks to most jobs so use it when you need to and don't feel guilty.

I think nhs workers have been over glorified. There are many people working more difficult, dangerous jobs 365 days a year that don't get a 2nd look in.

NHS staff no doubt work hard but they enjoy relative safety. Their current status has been elevated more for positive propaganda than logic necessity.

There is plenty of time in a working week to go shopping. NHS clinical staff work a seven day rota so have days off when it's quiet to do the shopping then.

Speak for yourself, I worked 6.5 days last week, DH is shielding and there’s only me that can shop. I’m lucky in that I can pop in before work in an NHS only slot or after work sometimes and haven’t had to use my NHS ID as the queue is less but I would if I had to get back to DH.

NHS staff no doubt work hard but they enjoy relative safety

Are you taking the piss @Alwaystalks500?