To find people's duplicity towards key workers upsetting

[hibbledibble]

On one hand, it's 'clap for carers' and praising NHS staff as 'heroes'.

On the other hand, the amount of vitriol towards key workers who need childcare so they can do their jobs is shocking. In addition, the public that praises us, also ignores lockdown rules, causing even greater strain to the NHS.

I am a doctor, and I was redeployed during the first wave. It was horrific. I am still recovering now, and seeking treatment for PTSD. I have seen many of my colleagues become seriously unwell, and others have died.

We don't want claps (in fact, please don't) but decent, safe working conditions (including proper PPE), and sufficient childcare. I can't work from home, so my children (primary and preschool age) need to be cared for.

I admit I am taking this fairly personally as I have seen first hand the absolute horror that this virus has caused, and have been traumatised by it. My hospital is well over capacity, and people are dying waiting for ventilators.

I have been thinking exacrly this OP!

A lot of bitterness from people because they just want to send their kids to school. Which is understandable but not right either.

I’m a public sector worker who isn’t an “essential worker” and can wfh. So I’ve got my 6 yo at home except when he’s with his a Dad. I’m not going to be bitter because other people can send their kids in though!

(As in I could do most of my job at midnight if I wanted to/ had the energy and no one would die from not getting immediate responses)

[quote Peaseblossom22]@Ihatefish. I am an accountant , doing tax returns . It is essential but it is not key , it’s hard to do at home with dodgy link up email and not quite the right file and children undoubtedly , but is it impossible, no . Is it key to saving peoples lives , no, is it essential that it is done outside the home , no . Ergo it’s not a key worker role in terms of childcare and employers should not require you to be in the office. I know it’s difficult to push back to employers but it is the law not just guidance[/quote]
Just to clarify, I reached the same conclusion about myself and hence DH is now doing home learning, but I think it’s just as vital as most of these “key roles” 70 out of 200 kids are in in DSs school. It’s fucking ridiculous and I know there’s some in there with SAHP and parents working from home in similar roles to me.

I’ve had DS in tears this morning as so many of his mates are in school even he has drawn a distinction between what his friends parents do jobs like doctors, police and people who work in an office like mummy and daddy. We’ve only just sorted out his anxiety from last lock down.

Meant to say earlier, I have no vitriol for actual key workers ending school places or otherwise. I save my vitriol for the Teachers Unions (“You Did It”). Not the teachers themselves, certainly not the fantastic ones at my school. The unions are another matter entirely. I was going to say, I hope they’re happy. But as we say in the leaked email, they’ve “won”. And that’s what matters.
And if the largest teachers’ union in Europe doesn’t care about children getting an education, who does?
Off topic sorry. Rant over.

Needing*

I have had the vaccine and would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is eligible. Many of us eligible would if we could! I manage a care home and 5 of our staff have been vaccinated, then we were told there would be no more available for us. Our residents haven't even had it and we've been told not to contact our GP surgery for residents as they are "overwhelmed" (even though they have refused to help with medical care for the most part and instead suggested 999 for non-emergencies). We've been told to wait to be contacted (fine by us) then told residents could be waiting months but to be prepared with consent forms/proof of power of attorney etc as it's likely that when those delivering the vaccine are ready, we'll only be given a few hours notice.

water sorry to hear this. There are definitely issues with the organisation of vaccine delivery. I have been fortunate that my hospital had stock and I got it from them. Care home staff should absolutely be vaccinated. I have heard that certain GP surgeries will vaccinate anyone who is eligible (over 80s, care and NHS staff) if any available doses left at the end of the day. Perhaps it's worth calling other local gps who offer it? Hopefully your staff will be offered it soon as well, as organisational and supply issues are ironed out.

I'm sorry you have PTSD. That's really shit.

So do many, many more of your patients. Needlessly. Long before covid came along.

You haven't mentioned them. Why not? I find patients being traumatised en masse without a word of concern pretty horrific.

Maybe now you will have some empathy for what it's like for patients being dehumanised by the NHS and then harangued for not being grateful for having been needlessly and avoidably traumatised by staff who didn't care about the harm they were causing.

You're being a massive hypocrite. Why should people give NHS staff special status for trauma when NHS staff have been routinely traumatising their patients for years without a second thought - even now? Even when you recognise how traumatic this situation is you still can't spare a thought for the patients? You want to make it all about you? Seriously?

It's still all about the staff, nothing about the human beings they're traumatising. I'm sick of people ramming this toxic, selfish messaging in my face every day.

@Lemonpiano well said.

lemon excuse me, what are you talking about? You seem very upset and bitter about something, but not able to articulate what it is. I don't think it's fair to say that doctors lack empathy, when we have been doing our best to care for patients in very difficult circumstances, despite the risks to our health.

@Lemonpiano, what a horrible post, really nasty.

Most working people would not cope with 1/10th if what NHS staff have to cope with.

Over 90% of patients report to be happy with their care and treatment at hospital.

You are clearly projecting some personal issues and attacking the wrong people.

Yes.....Well said Lemon.

Perhaps you would like to share your personal experiences lemon , so that we can better understand what you are talking about?

Personally, like don't disturb said, I have had really positive feedback from both my patients, and their families. I spent a lot of time talking to families in the first wave, which was so important, as they couldn't visit their loved ones.

If nothing else, your post does illustrate my original point.

"Over 90% of patients report to be happy with their care and treatment at hospital"

That if you were basing this on patients with PTSD (or pretty much any other mental health condition) trying to access physical health care this would not be the case at all.

Accessing healthcare with a PTSD diagnosis is very often, very traumatising.

As is recovering from COVID - or any other illness - where critical care has been involved.

I'll share recently in hospital exposed to covid, lied to by staff discharged without a test. Happy..... I was one of the lucky ones

OP I have seen a lot of frustration at the state of the NHS. Even before the pandemic, due to funding they struggled to deliver services and in the last year people have witnessed further decline. People with cancer not getting treated to protect the nhs. People in extreme pain not getting help. Routine screening services stopped leading to health deterioration for many. That is not aimed at individual nhs workers, though it has not helped having some post YouTube videos of them in empty wards with nothing to do ignoring colleagues nearby who were overwhelmed.
We have seen stories on here by people frustrated and angry as loved ones died in pain but this frustration and anger is aimed at management and government not the frontline workers.
I have watched seven family members health conditions deteriorate to the extent they barely function day to day and experienced the extreme difficulty in getting help for them. My anger is not at you.

As an additional piece of context mental health services, extremely hard to access, child self-harming unable to get help. GP referred to CAMHS who advised as conscious and breathing currently unable to assist. Ambulance services severe delays so family, untrained in right way to help, left to cope

I don't think it's 'duplicity' to grump about key workers needing childcare whilst at the same time taking part in the clapping. Might be stupidity, cognitive dissonance or any number of things but I find it strange that you would frame it as 'duplicity'.

Anyway, I've yet to see any complaints about NHS workers taking up childcare/school spaces so I vote YABU, and also perhaps a shade disingenuous.

There are many NHS staff not sending their kids to school despite being key/critical workers.

1. Schools in my area are an all or nothing, so Monday to Friday or they can’t go at all.

This doesn’t work for me as I can’t be home alone on my day off when my kids are at school miserable.

1. The school is freezing, ALL the windows and doors are open, it’s not above freezing in my area and the school are not observing the H&S minimum temperature requirement.

I completely understand why but I do disagree

1. My children’s school have an excellent online package of logging on and having access to a teacher and are encouraged to work with their teacher not relying on a patent.

1. My children are just about old enough to look after themselves with an adult in the house, they don’t need anyone to wipe their arse or make them a sandwich. Can help themselves to a snack or drink.

1. I am front line and can see about 40 plus people per day, the increased risk that poses to the other children and teachers 5 days a week is to much for me to send them in.

1. My job is as secure as can be, I’m not struggling for money, I have paid sick and carers leave IF I need it.

For them reasons I would relinquish my place happily (and have) I hope that place has enabled a child whose parent is struggling for whatever reason to be given a place. My kids are not hard done by and compared to what I see going on in other peoples houses they are bloody lucky to have the lifestyle they do. No one knows what is going on behind closed doors and that seemingly “normal” family could be under pressure that some of us will ever experience in our life time.

I’m sorry that some people are not getting places when they feel like they need it but it’s not all down to NHS staff taking them, if some schools had flexibility then that could allow 2 part time children to attend but they are not. 🤷‍♀️

And if the largest teachers’ union in Europe doesn’t care about children getting an education, who does?

Well to be fair to the union, they AREN'T there to get kids an education, but to protect the teachers and work in the teachers best interest. I would argue that giving kids an education in current circumstances, and teachers being denied the vaccine, is not in teachers best interest at all and therefore the union is doing their job. I think the way teachers are being treated by the government is scandalous to be honest and I am glad their union is standing up for them. I think getting them vaccinated should be high on the list and that would ensure that education could continue.

merry I totally understand people's frustrations with the system, we have the same as staff. It shouldn't be aimed at individuals however, who are just trying to do the best in difficult situations. The NHS has suffered from years of underfunding, and now is at crisis point. Deferring outpatient clinic appointments and some surgery was sadly necessary, so that the staff could be redeployed to covid. We are way over capacity in my hospital, and are even turning clinic spaces into wards, theatres into overflow ICU. It's truly dire, and we are by no means unique.

Of course the NUT or what ever are not there to support children. I’m not a teacher but I do pay into a union. It’s there for me. I don’t pay for any one else’s benefit not even my co workers, plenty of whom chose not to pay into it. When we had a problem at work I contacted the union on my behalf and they sorted my issue out. I wonder if the same response about unions not caring is ever levelled at predominantly male workers, no don’t think so.

@TheYearOfSmallThings

Nobody is begrudging your child a key-worker space at school, and I find it difficult to believe you think they do. People are however raising eyebrows at the accountants, IT managers and many other workers who are suddenly identifying as key-workers.

this.

Especially as most of the jobs in that list can usually done from home, with a few exceptions in very specific cases

black ice Unfortunately, there are plenty of people, including some on this thread, who are begrudging that I have childcare, so that I can work. Others seem to be generally bitter, and angry towards doctors.

Kids you are right, many of my colleagues aren't using the key worker provision, but they are those who are fortunate enough to have either a stay at home parent, or a nanny.

Happy to look after your kids and any one else's kids
Please don't judge some kids get a place due to being SEN or vulnerable Which is info you may not be privy to