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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To want to work for the NHS

97 replies

alienbaby · 15/12/2021 13:45

I know it's hard and stressful with insane hours but whenever I have been in a hospital its seems like staff have amazing camaraderie. Its like they are their own family or community. Do people who work for the NHS feel that way?

OP posts:

pjani · 15/12/2021 13:47

I like working in the NHS (non-clinician here). Doesn’t feel like a family though I like and respect my colleague. I think the pay is decent for the public sector (potentially controversial opinion) and the holiday allowance, over time, is good. I’d say go for it! We need new people with enthusiasm and interest.

Porfre · 15/12/2021 13:47

Turn back, turn back,thou pretty bride,
Within this house thou must not abide.
For here do evil things betide.

MatildaTheCat · 15/12/2021 13:49

I think it depends almost 100% on the area you work I. And the people who lead your team. Can be great can be unbelievably awful.

ItsAllAboutTheLighting · 15/12/2021 13:50

It is like that in my area, in my team.

I have just come from a team where it's the total opposite and it was painful to work with them.

dun1urkin · 15/12/2021 13:50

Yes. And I am back office, but my workmates both clinical and non clinical are epic.

I had a really tough time a couple of years back and the love, care and support of my work family was incredible.

Work is fucking hard hard HARD going and if we didn’t have each other it’d be utterly intolerable.

I know people will come along and say it’s shit, and I know that my experience isn’t universal, and also isn’t unique to being in the NHS etc, but I wanted to share something positive

OneRuleForThem · 15/12/2021 13:51

I have literally never heard one single person say working for the NHS has amazing camaraderie. Bullying, stress and horrible managers? Heard plenty of stories like that.

PinkiOcelot · 15/12/2021 13:52

I wouldn’t bother. Definitely give it a wide birth.

BridStar · 15/12/2021 13:52

Why not get a job with a proper so you don't starve, then make some friends.

Thinking you're going to get some camaraderie because of a few Christmas photos in the local paper of a team in tinsel is a poor career plan.

Original poster

alienbaby · 15/12/2021 13:54

I would love to contribute to the NHS and help look after people but I don't have any science skills to retrain in a medical profession. What is the NHS lacking in terms of non medical staff? I did think about retraining in OT.

OP posts:

Porfre · 15/12/2021 13:55

The only good thing about work is the work colleagues. I'm not talking about the managers.

They help you get through the day.

Clevs · 15/12/2021 13:56

There's lots of camaraderie in the Ambulance Service. Not as much as there used to be but it's still there.

Hereagainnewlogin · 15/12/2021 13:58

My sister is a nurse and has a good bond with her colleagues, being very busy and stressed they do lean on each other but I don't know if she'd call them a 'family' or whatever. In many ways it's a job like any other.

HangingOutWithTheSandman · 15/12/2021 13:59

Bullying, stress and horrible managers? Heard plenty of stories like that.

I was going to say the same. I suppose it depends who you work with, like anywhere else, but I know quite a few old and current NHS staff and they definitely say it has a bad reputation for this.

I know suffered terrible racism and bullying from colleagues and didn’t get support from management despite them having seen it on many occasions.

Elsiebear90 · 15/12/2021 14:00

I’ve worked in the nhs for over a decade, I’m clinical and yes you do meet some great people, but it’s no better for that than any other job imo, I think it’s actually the bad parts of the job that bring you together, because most other people don’t understand what you have to deal with.

There’s also a hell of a lot of being spoken to and treated like crap by senior staff members of staff such as consultants, some of it I would class as bullying, and because the NHS is very hierarchical, consultants are gods here and nothing will ever get done about it.

I wouldn’t really recommend it as a place to work tbh, the pay isn’t great for what you have to do, stress is very high, and as I said there’s often bullying with no real support other than “that’s just what Dr X is like, deal with it” the positive are the pension is good, but my god you really do pay through the nose for it, you get a few extra days holiday than most people too, and if you’re incompetent or constantly off sick it’s virtually impossible for them to sack you.

Fluffycloudland77 · 15/12/2021 14:00

It’s not camaraderie it’s shared trauma.

Original poster

alienbaby · 15/12/2021 14:01

Shit I didn't know bullying was such a big issue. That's awful.

OP posts:

Elsiebear90 · 15/12/2021 14:03

@Fluffycloudland77

It’s not camaraderie it’s shared trauma.

Yup, there’s nothing like a patient dying a horrible death to bring your team closer together, it’s really sad, but it’s true, I feel closest to my colleagues after something really awful has happened to us or when a consultant we’re working with us being vile.

WrinklesShminkles · 15/12/2021 14:05

In my experience the NHS is a closed shop so you probably won't get a job in it anyway.

Justcallmebebes · 15/12/2021 14:07

I've worked twice in the NHS in completely different roles. First one 20 odd years ago - absolutely brilliant. Fantastic team and best manager I've ever had. All still in touch to this day although we've gone our separate ways career wise.

Secondly, whilst temping 6 odd years ago. Absolutely fucking awful. manager was insane and ruled by fear. Whole department was totally dysfunctional and incompetent and I couldn't wait to get out

Gladioli23 · 15/12/2021 14:07

I work in the NHS and definitely view my colleagues who I have worked with over COVID as a community/family. I think it's also the feeling that we're pulling together for the public good. I'm also knackered (but have a day off today) and feel much less able to say no than I did in my private sector role.

Hereagainnewlogin · 15/12/2021 14:09

@WrinklesShminkles

In my experience the NHS is a closed shop so you probably won't get a job in it anyway.

Eh? I've know 3 different people who've started in the NHS this year alone. Clinical and non-clinical.

SingingWaffleDoggy · 15/12/2021 14:10

It totally depends on the team to be honest. I’ve worked a couple of really toxic teams, but have also been lucky enough to have worked with some that were like family and are lifelong friends. Those are the teams where we provided the best care.
If I were to retrain I would definitely be an OT. The therapy teams always seem to be quite close knit and it’s a role that would be challenging and rewarding.

Fifilafrog · 15/12/2021 14:21

I'm nhs (non clinical). My immediate team are AMAZING!!! The managers not so much. What tends to happen, being public sector, is that politicians (who have no clue) regularly "shake up" the system with the intention of of cutting costs leaving the system over stretched. What usually happens is that they find the system is too heavy on managers, cut a load out and then they all get re-employed. There are too many incompetent managers earning big salaries gaffing about and too few support staff working their @rses off to keep everything afloat. We need fewer, more capable managers and waaaay more support staff.

As far as clinical roles are concerned, we need thousands more if these to ease the pressures. I'm sure if there were more and therefore the incredible load was lightened, it would be a much better environment to work in. Until the government catch on to this, I'm not sure things will improve.

£350million pounds a week (or whatever the figure was) as promised would help. Not sure we'll ever see that though ☹️

samsalmon · 15/12/2021 14:25

Oh yeah! Whatever did happen to that £350m a week?

Hereagainnewlogin · 15/12/2021 14:26

@samsalmon

Oh yeah! Whatever did happen to that £350m a week?

Pretty sure that's what Dido Harding spent buggering up Test and Trace

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