Page 3 | To want to work for the NHS

alienbaby · 2021-12-15T13:45:27+00:00

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?

Justcashnosweets · 15/12/2021 20:53

DON'T DO IT!! I work for the NHS in mental health, with a truly amazing team. I love them. But, the work is hard, and there aren't enough of us. Also our manager can be a lying snake so that doesn't help. I have worked with some really toxic trams aswell, and its soul destroying.

Justcashnosweets · 15/12/2021 20:54

Trams? Teams! 🤣

ChocolateDeficitDisorder · 15/12/2021 20:56

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

I started in September as a band 5 on a one year fixed term contract as a Contact Tracer.

I was last in the NHS 15yrs ago as a nurse. It's not a closed shop, there are people from lots of backgrounds on our team.

hownowpurplecow · 15/12/2021 20:57

I’ve been in the nhs for 18 years, I started as a domestic and then trained as a midwife. I love it, it’s a part of who I am and I couldn’t imagine working as anything else or for another organisation. It’s not perfect, theres stress and bad apples wherever you go, but my work colleagues have become my family and I have made some of my very best friends at work. I’m really proud of what I do, and to work for the NHS, and the difference we can make to peoples lives every day.

ChocolateDeficitDisorder · 15/12/2021 21:02

They’re set in band 7/8 positions and they are fucking lazy.

My husband is a top band 7 nursing Team Leader with about 30 community staff in his charge. His phone starts ringing at 0730 and doesn't stop until 6pm. His manager's job has been filled 3 times in 2 years. but they keep leaving because there's so much responsibility. He absolutely does not want that kind of stress.

So no, not all the managers are sitting with their feet up - between recruitment, staffing shortages, staff issues, datix, training, discipline and patient complaints/issues there's lots to keep many of them busy.

He works hard for his £48k.

Peccary · 15/12/2021 21:08

I used to work in a lab role, rife with bullying, full of middle managers covering their own arses. I won't go back

sausagepastapot · 15/12/2021 21:10

I know plenty of people and the vast majority hate it/get divorced very quickly/are on very low wages/do massive long hours/never see their kids

KitKat1985 · 15/12/2021 21:11

Honestly that's a bit like asking 'AIBU for wanting to work in a shop?' in that the NHS is so diverse with so many different teams and job roles, there's really no simple answer to this question.

Some teams have great camaraderie and others aren't. Some have lots of bullying some don't. Some roles can be very high stress, and some roles are less so.

Personally having been on the (mental health) wards for 12 years I think the camaraderie has generally been good but there can also be a lot of 'office politics' (don't even get me started on the f*cking Christmas rota each year) and it was high stress and pressure. I moved to a community nursing role a few months ago and there's much more lone working but honestly I much prefer it.

nocoolnamesleft · 15/12/2021 21:13

My colleagues within my department aren't exactly family, but we are most definitely a community. If we weren't such a team, we would not still be standing.

230pm · 15/12/2021 21:16

Maybe years ago…staff in nhs are not loyal and absence rates are horrendous

Gempeatea · 15/12/2021 21:18

I work for the NHS as an OT...awesome profession..😍X I work within a Community Mental Health Team, and I love them and my work. Don't get me wrong it's a challenging job, the NHS is very under staffed in many areas so it is stressful however I find that staff pull together...but that's only my experience xx

OhPeeQueue · 15/12/2021 21:20

Yeah, I singled out and aimed my comment (that was based on my own experience) specifically at @ChocolateDeficitDisorder ‘s husband. 🤪

@Peccary sounds like we worked in the same place. Wonder which city you worked in?

StiggyZardust · 15/12/2021 21:21

30 years in the NHS (clinical). Currently work with two teams, one is supportive, fun and great to work with. The other is a nightmare. I've never met such bizarre people.

Toddlerteaplease · 15/12/2021 21:23

My ward had the most fantastic camaraderie, but everyone has got fed up and left. I'm gutted as we had a fab team, who were great fun to work with.

Toddlerteaplease · 15/12/2021 21:26

And yes they were like family.

TheNinny · 15/12/2021 21:29

I’m in a permanent, full time band 4 admin role not too many of these where
I work). I love it but it is stressful at times and pressure to stay late etc. but then the pay is decent for the area,
Public holidays, 9-5 no weekends, flexi working policy (mostly), occasional overtime and my team are
like family. Managers are pretty bullying though so you have to be able to hold your own and be defensive a lot of the time. Considering I worked previously full in a stressful admin role for a local housing authority and for 10k less, I consider myself lucky in many ways. I won’t leave, but don’t have much progression as the band 5 admins are few and far between with other people ‘in line’ for them before me. It is often about who you know to get in. But I started on the bank/relief and you can work in lots of different areas

motheroftigers · 15/12/2021 21:32

Ha no! It very political. Many staff already looking at/or moving to the private sector

Intheopinionofourexpert · 15/12/2021 21:32

@OneRuleForThem

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.

I've had amazing camaraderie in the NHS. In my last team, our director was inspirational and my wonderful colleagues supported me through 4 bereavements in close succession. I've also collected lifelong friends in almost every NHS dept I've worked in.

That said, I've also comes across a handful of people who were usually promoted one grade above their capabilities who are allowed to fester and cause disruption and distress to staff who passed through their department. Even then though, close friendships have formed in those difficult situations.

Go into it with your eyes open OP, and you may love it and end up working with some fantastic people.

ChocolateDeficitDisorder · 15/12/2021 21:43

Yeah, I singled out and aimed my comment (that was based on my own experience) specifically at @ChocolateDeficitDisorder ‘s husband. 🤪

Maybe not, but you may have to differentiate between clinical and non-clinical managers when you accuse them of laziness. Clinical areas are cripplingly short-staffed across the board - the managers are clinicians themselves and a desperately trying to hold their services together with mepore and goodwill.

CaptainCabinets · 15/12/2021 21:45

Not when you see how some members of the public see fit to treat us (patient-facing)

People would be thrown out of literally any other establishment for treating the staff the way we sometimes get treated, so why is it suddenly okay within a hospital? I’ve been reduced to tears just today by how utterly awful a patient’s relative was to me.

My team is great, but the ‘amazing camaraderie’ you describe is what you see when a bunch of people bond over trauma. We go through hell together every day, pick one another up from the brink of insanity and keep coming back to do it all again the next day, over and over. It’s a bit fucked up, when you put it like that. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Intheopinionofourexpert · 15/12/2021 23:01

@ChocolateDeficitDisorder

Yeah, I singled out and aimed my comment (that was based on my own experience) specifically at @ChocolateDeficitDisorder ‘s husband. 🤪

Maybe not, but you may have to differentiate between clinical and non-clinical managers when you accuse them of laziness. Clinical areas are cripplingly short-staffed across the board - the managers are clinicians themselves and a desperately trying to hold their services together with mepore and goodwill.

That's really unfair. I've been clinical and non clinical and come across lazy managers on both sides. The laziest person I've ever worked with (30+ years) was a nurse manager. She was so lazy we used to say she could be replaced with a cardboard cutout and no-one would notice.

Some of my recent colleagues are leading on the delivery of vaccines for a county. They are working 7 days every week to get things in place for the booster programme. None of them are clinical

kitcat15 · 15/12/2021 23:20

@OneRuleForThem

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.

My team are all amazing .....we are bands 7s 6s and 4s.....we all have each others backs.... no bullying harassment.... can be stressful....but always someone to help you out.

ThoseFestiveLights · 15/12/2021 23:29

I’ve left the NHS this year. The bullying and incompetence destroyed me. The pay is excellent especially in rural areas. But because of that, a lot of incompetent people stay because they can’t work elsewhere. And they rise to the top.

Sebastianthecoo · 15/12/2021 23:41

I couldn’t do anything else, I absolutely love my job but it is so tough and you leave every shift wishing you could have done more. The team I work with are amazing and like sisters to me. I work a lot of nightshift though when there aren’t any management around and that really makes a difference. I can’t believe some of the band 8 staff used to be nurses, they are horrible bullies and really know how to suck the last bit of morale out of staff.

ChocolateDeficitDisorder · 15/12/2021 23:57

That's really unfair. I've been clinical and non clinical and come across lazy managers on both sides.

It's not unfair of me, I said that she 'may' have to differentiate, because her comment was very general. I'm from a clinical background and haven't found the management to be lazy, but I can't speak for the non-clinical side. I do know that there's no room for lazy clinical staff right now.