NHS consultant flies to Greek island despite quarantine

[kumquat365]

Name change for this. DH and I have a friend who is an NHS consultant at the top of the pay scale whose service is short-staffed and has spoken to us about the unnecessary deaths caused by lack of cover in his speciality.

He's a keen swimmer and cyclist and booked to go on an activity-style holiday with a friend. He's not married and has no family: this wasn't a family holiday. They were booked to go to an upmarket activity holiday centre on a Greek island that in the last few days has been put on the quarantine list by both Scotland and Wales. The flight was due to depart late yesterday afternoon. Our friend's mate, who is a medic based in England, decided not to risk it and dropped out. Our friend, who works in one of the countries that had declared a 14-day quarantine on return, went in the knowledge he'd have to quarantine on return.

AIBU to feel shocked and disappointed? He's complained so much about shortages of staff in his specialism and he's just taken a decision that will mean it's even worse.

if he knows he has to quarantine then I guess the 14 day quarantine will have been factored in for his annual leave. On that basis I think YABU. Can he not spend his annual leave as he likes?

It makes no difference if it was a family holiday or a friends holiday. People who’ve had children are no more entitled to a holiday than anyone else.

NHS consultants also have annual leave that they are entitled to use. Would you rather he didn’t use his leave and end up going off sick for a couple of months with burn-out?

NHS workers are human too, they’re not the deities some people make them out to be.

He’ll have to take leave, annual leave or unpaid. Consultants often take several weeks off in Summer leaving staff shortages. Might be better to be off now while hospital cases are low. Hopefully he will be refreshed for ‘winter pressures’ with a side helping of COVID.

I'd rather he have a holiday and relaxation time after being short staffed overworked and come back fighting fit mentally. Why shouldn't he have a holiday and quarantine and use his A/L he is human after all

He's a keen swimmer and cyclist and booked to go on an activity-style holiday with a friend. He's not married and has no family: this wasn't a family holiday.

Would it have been more acceptable if he was married with children and it was a family holiday?

Can’t see why the fact he’s not married is relevant in the slightest?

Are married people more entitled to a holiday?

Poor bloke, let him rest. He may be exempted from quarantine anyway, but MYOB.

Everyone is entitled to rest.

He must be exhausted and need a break.

I know doctors who have had no leave since the spring so now have tonnes to save up, I assume he's the same and will be using some for the quarantine period.

If he's just planning on skiving I suspect he'll have an interesting conversation with HR on his return.

I guess it depends if he is using annual leave or unpaid leave for the holiday, or if he’s expecting to be paid to sit at home when he gets back, and went regardless.

YABU.

He is entitled to go on holiday and he will either have to use extra annual leave or unpaid leave on his return.

The nature of the holiday, or who he is going with does not factor into this.

What does factor into it is this person has booked a well earned break away, which he is entitled to, and unfortunately now faces restrictions on his return, which he will pay for out of his pocket by either losing two weeks precious annual leave or two weeks pay. Give the guy a break!

His decision. He probably hugely needs a break. Doctors are human beings too, even the unmarried ones

He will be able to work from home during the quarantine too, some hospital specialisms are offering over the phone appointments etc

He's human. He needs a holiday. End of.

I'm amazed at the responses. He could have had a cycling/swimming holiday here. In fact the pair of them had been offered someone's nice holiday home on a Scottish loch as an alternative last week. I mentioned it wasn't a family holiday to indicate that he wasn't constrained by obligations to a partner or children.

He complains each time we see him of how patchy his service is, of having clinics cancelled because of lack of support staff and so on. His speciality is one where the likelihood of people dying and he recently told of us of three deaths which ought to have been preventable. But he's made a choice that will put him out of action for another fortnight.

DH and I have a friend who is an NHS consultant at the top of the pay scale whose service is short-staffed

it's not his fault that this speciality is short stuffed. Should doctors who work in such areas prohibited from taking annual leave?

And what has his marital status to do with it. Would he get your approval for going to Greece if he had a wife?

You sound green with envy, not like a friend.

I can't wait for the day when normality returns and people go back to minding their own business. YABVU.

Technically as a key worker delivering healthcare he doesn't have to quarantine.
But I also agree he may be burnt out or in need of a holiday

It depends what staff they are short of though

Unless its a shortage of consultants him being off wont necessarily change anything

NHS workers are allowed holiday. Im assuming if people have died as a result of staff shortages he has been in the thick of it. NHS workers arent just there to serve the country forever.

@kumquat365

I'm amazed at the responses. He could have had a cycling/swimming holiday here. In fact the pair of them had been offered someone's nice holiday home on a Scottish loch as an alternative last week. I mentioned it wasn't a family holiday to indicate that he wasn't constrained by obligations to a partner or children.

He complains each time we see him of how patchy his service is, of having clinics cancelled because of lack of support staff and so on. His speciality is one where the likelihood of people dying and he recently told of us of three deaths which ought to have been preventable. But he's made a choice that will put him out of action for another fortnight.

He. Is. A. Human.

Not just a doctor.

He's entitled to go to Greece over Scotland. Who wouldn't?

Have you ever considered that the improvements to his MH matter more than him having to be present at work for 2 weeks after a holiday?

@kumquat365

I'm amazed at the responses. He could have had a cycling/swimming holiday here. In fact the pair of them had been offered someone's nice holiday home on a Scottish loch as an alternative last week. I mentioned it wasn't a family holiday to indicate that he wasn't constrained by obligations to a partner or children.

He complains each time we see him of how patchy his service is, of having clinics cancelled because of lack of support staff and so on. His speciality is one where the likelihood of people dying and he recently told of us of three deaths which ought to have been preventable. But he's made a choice that will put him out of action for another fortnight.

I'm shocked with your attitude. So what if he goes abroad rather than Scotland - do you know what the weather is usually like in Scotland?????

It's up to him what he does and he's not bloody superman and has to just work every single shift. He needs a rest probably.

You're very judgmental aren't you? Individuals who work for the NHS aren't enslaved to them you know. We're not nuns or monks. We are entitled to holidays like jo public and if situations arise then we use annual leave to cover. Write to the government if you are concerned about a service being over stretched. Or volunteer. NHS staff have had it bloody hard these last 6 months. At least he's not resigned!

So its support staff they are lacking?

In which case hes not going to add to the staff shortages is he?

He could have had a cycling/swimming holiday here. In fact the pair of them had been offered someone's nice holiday home on a Scottish loch as an alternative last week.

Hmm, Scotland with 15 C in rain, wind and midges, with about 13 C water temperature, or Greece in 30 C in unbroken sunshine with 25 C water temperature.

That truly is a tough choice.

He’ll either work from home or have to take unpaid leave / annual leave depending on what his job is. I don’t think it’s anyone else’s business!

Being a doctor is a job. It doesn't mean the rest of your life must be disrupted or limited, you don't owe the NHS your whole life. He can do whatever he likes in his spare time and annual leave, just like you can.