To think my current work situation in the NHS is an absolute joke *MNHQ tweaked title at request of OP*

[MooreFoolYou]

Props to all NHS workers in the areas that were hit hard by Covid, I'm not denying for a second your hard work. What annoys me, is that hospitals in areas that haven't been affected are barely running and it's just a joke.

I work in a hospital that covers a large county, we've had 3 confirmed Covid cases. Ever. Yet almost all 'non essential' departments are still shut. Deployment has ended, as it's just not needed. Covid is not impacting us at this time. I have no work to do, as my department is shut, yet still I come in everyday. I'm literally coming in to sit in the office reading a book or even watching Netflix sometimes. There's loads of us that have nothing to do! You walk on to a ward and there's 12 nurses just twiddling their hands.

Why are non essential departments still closed when there is nothing else to occupy our time? Can the NHS really afford us to just bloody sit here? It's been two months of this! Why are patients having non emergency surgeries cancelled, why are non urgent referrals being postponed indefinitely, why are we turning people away to sit here with nothing to do?

I'm just fed up of it! I'm paying someone to look after my child whilst I do absolutely nothing. I've been told I can't work from home as the cost of getting me a laptop is too high, so I must come in everyday to just be here. With no work. Zero. What is the point!

where i work the hospital is 90% full
chemotherapy is still going on.
x rays
blood tests
appointments, via either video, telephone or face to face.
the nhs is on the recovery stage however many staff have been relocated and plans are made to relocate with covid secure working.

I've not read the whole thread, but just wanted to say the hospital where I work is practically back to pre COVID working levels and personally I'm busier than ever (I'm not clinical).

We had a period of being quieter during the start of lockdown - however there was still plenty for us to do I'm surprised if you have NOTHING you could be doing. I think it's more they can't make people work out with their skill set as I'm sure the domestic services would happily take extra help! It's all well and good saying we should be running at full capacity again but to be truthful- I am up close to well over 50 patients per day & I am more fearful now than I was at the start. Nobody is social distancing - we have had lots of positive cases recently and I do feel at risk some days. There has been no watching netflix for us & our department is absolutely heaving again. The only thing that's changed really is the public are now angry with us too. It does feel like a thankless task (by management) who basically seem to think all of us have had a great time off & now should be prepared to work at 110%. The fact is we have been covering for colleagues who are shielding for 5months, we are knackered & despite what people think it does take a toll mentally. Now we are being faced with staff sickness & some of us have suffered bereavements also. I know this is the same for everyone who has worked throughout in all roles, but please believe not all NHS staff have had a light workload & are desperate to get back to it. Also, I have worked on COVID wards before anyone thinks differently - it was fine at the time but only now am I feeling it. It's not normal to watch multiple people die on every shift and I worry about my own and my colleagues mental health further down the line to be honest.

YANBU. I think the GPs and others are enjoying a bit of a holiday from seeking patients. Many of my family / friends work in healthcare - few if any have been busy. My poor family members who work in food manufacturing and distribution (also essential workers) were at breaking point however and were unable to take leave for ages

Meanwhile In my job we are coming across cancer patients being diagnosed in A & E and often terminally ill at diagnosis.

I’ve had several appointments and an operation since lockdown so urgent things are happening.!

It varies enormously. A friend hasn't missed any of her cancer treatments, has had additional scans and every surgery.

A family member a few miles away from her with the same cancer has had all of her treatments and usual scans cancelled. She's been told that this year's scan might happen in 2021 or not. This is for a cancer that is notorious for metastases.

Some people have scarcely had their healthcare disrupted at all while others have no idea at all when anything approaching normal service will be resumed.

Slightly controversial comment coming. Maybe OP your department isn’t as necessary as it was once thought. The fact that the NHS is restarting without you may well confirm what many frontline NHS have been saying for years, that the NHS is too management heavy.
I am frontline NHS and our local management team have disappeared. We have been left to restart by ourselves and things are running pretty smoothly without them. I suspect they went into those fabled bunkers at the beginning of April and someone has forgotten to pass on the memo that we are getting back to normal.

Could you speak to your local MP? This needs flagging up and they might not be aware. It just seems so wrong for you all to be twiddling your thumbs (not your fault BTW) when surely you could be helping the national effort somehow. There must be admin work that could be done by you to help out other departments or hospitals.

I work on a ward for elderly and we are busy as hell. No sooner has a patient left there is another in the waiting area......all wards closed during covid are open again too.

I agree this shouldn't be happening but I don't think it's representative of all areas. I work in the NHS, our department have been working throughout at busier than usual levels, just (almost) all appointments virtual rather than in person. I know people across specialities locally who have all been working in a similar way.

You just blew my brains! Here we cannot even get a routine phone appointment with a GP!
There must be huge huge waiting lists!

I work in a community health team of nurses and therapists.
We have worked throughout at more than twice our capacity, seeing patients who either wouldnt go to hospital (due to fear of dying without loved ones) or patients whom the hospitals wouldn't admit.
We are knackered.
I'm furious at the GPs (and social work teams!) who havent been out to see even one patient as they dont do home visits anymore.
They have pushed us under a bus and they fucking well know it.
If you are reading this Daily Mail, it's the absolute truth.

I don’t understand why trusts differ so much

We were hit badly (London) but I know the local hospitals are back to how things were before as there has to be limits on how many people are in the clinics or on wards

We are so busy (mh) and have beeN throughout. I’ve only recently had some annual leave and feel ready to take more.

We are under pressure to take on more referrals and others are under pressure to refer as the acute wards are exceptionally busy

I think the GPs and others are enjoying a bit of a holiday from seeking patients.

GPs absolutely. You cannot get near your GP at the moment. The drawbridge is up.

@IwishIwasyoda

YANBU. I think the GPs and others are enjoying a bit of a holiday from seeking patients. Many of my family / friends work in healthcare - few if any have been busy. My poor family members who work in food manufacturing and distribution (also essential workers) were at breaking point however and were unable to take leave for ages

GP surgeries get paid "per patient" whether they see them or not, so there's no incentive to make effort to see (or even talk to) more patients than they can get away with.

High time they were paid "per appointment" - they'd soon find ways of seeing patients then, wouldn't they?

yes, some revisoin of GP contracts might be in order. I have seen mine for 7 minutes in 15 years as I don't seem to get ill (and am very very lucky and have paid hundreds of thousands in tax which I don't mind as I support the NHS but I am not sure I get that much value from it. It seems a very expensive insurance policy as with the one for my work where I could have bought a small house for the value of all the premia paid over 25 years and I have never had an insurance claim. Pity I am not allowed to opt out of both.

@Xenia

yes, some revisoin of GP contracts might be in order. I have seen mine for 7 minutes in 15 years as I don't seem to get ill (and am very very lucky and have paid hundreds of thousands in tax which I don't mind as I support the NHS but I am not sure I get that much value from it. It seems a very expensive insurance policy as with the one for my work where I could have bought a small house for the value of all the premia paid over 25 years and I have never had an insurance claim. Pity I am not allowed to opt out of both.

Not big on civic responsibility then?

I've never needed the police or the army but I understand how civilised societies work.

@GeishaInCroatia

I think the GPs and others are enjoying a bit of a holiday from seeking patients.

GPs absolutely. You cannot get near your GP at the moment. The drawbridge is up.

They open up when there's money in it for them.

One of our local surgeries has been closed throughout - apparently they designated it a red-zone which is pointless because they don't see covid patients anyway. It's been basically abandoned for six months. Now, they've re-opened it as a drive through flu jab centre only. You can see what motivates them - it's the money. They've managed to find a way to open it and see patients so that they get the dosh for the jabs but they couldn't open it and would only do phone appts when there was no cash in it for them. Only the sight of nearby chemists offering the flu jab spurred them into action - all that money they'd not get their hands on if they didn't do flu jabs themselves so they quickly found the premises and staff to do it. It's all about money to GPs these days.

I've got a GP appointment on Friday and half the people I know seem to have flu jabs booked at the surgery soon.

I don't understand how this can be true. I am a nurse and our hospital (which was at one point full of covid patients) is pretty much back to normal. A&E is busier than it would normally be at this time of year.

Admittedly I know nothing about community clinics and have little or no contact with admin only departments, or perhaps it's down to regional variations?

I don’t understand why it wouldn’t be about money, you do know that GP’s are no longer NHS employees and are independent contractors.

GP’s have not been taking a holiday. DH is one and also volunteered to work on a Covid ward but is now back at the surgery. They have been open throughout. Many appointments have been done over the phone - this has proved very popular as you can usually get a same day appointment. Face to face appointments are usually a three week wait. They have continued to treat patients, do referrals and escalate cancer treatment.

Consultants are doing telephone consultations and then asking the GP to do any bloods and let them know results! That was clamped down in my area. I'm a GP I'm very busy as telephone appointments suit a lot of people. Also seeing lots of people daily. Nurses also fully booked

@Parker231

GP’s have not been taking a holiday. DH is one and also volunteered to work on a Covid ward but is now back at the surgery. They have been open throughout. Many appointments have been done over the phone - this has proved very popular as you can usually get a same day appointment. Face to face appointments are usually a three week wait. They have continued to treat patients, do referrals and escalate cancer treatment.

My gripe with GP appointments is that you have to have a telephone appointment first where they decide if you can have a face to face appointment but that initial call can come at anytime so they tell you to stay close to the phone all day and be available to attend the surgery straight away if necessary - how can you do that if you work and can't have your phone on you?

@Parker231

GP’s have not been taking a holiday. DH is one and also volunteered to work on a Covid ward but is now back at the surgery. They have been open throughout. Many appointments have been done over the phone - this has proved very popular as you can usually get a same day appointment. Face to face appointments are usually a three week wait. They have continued to treat patients, do referrals and escalate cancer treatment.

So what's the magic words to get past the gatekeepers?

If hardly anyone is getting in and phone appointments are popular, why are appointments 3 weeks?

if you can have a face to face appointment but that initial call can come at anytime so they tell you to stay close to the phone all day and be available to attend the surgery straight away if necessary

Yes, like waiting for yodel coming with a parcel.