Q about NHS shift workers

[CrotchetyQuaver]

When I was a child in the 70's my DMs nurse shifts were 8 hours long, there were 3 shifts per 24 hours. This seemed to be the norm then, I certainly remember police officers also did 8 hour shifts.
Nowadays it seems (to me at least) that 12 hour shifts are standard. I take my hat off to those who do them, as someone well over 50 now and not as youthful and strong as I once was, I'm not sure I could sustain that working pattern for long.

How do you sort childcare and other logistics on your 12 hour working days.

How do the older workers fare on the long shifts
What's your work life balance like
Is it worth it for a shorter working week?
Would 8 hour shifts make your working life "easier" or more complicated.

Everyone I worked with in healthcare who did 12hr shifts loved them, they got more days off. They said it was better for them to go to work three days per week for long days than to have to go five days for shorter days!

We had staff who did 3 x 12 hour days, most of us did one 12 hour day and 3 shorter shifts.

I found long days a killer but some staff loved them.

We had one support worker who did 60 long days in a row, I seem to recall they weren't supposed to allow this but they were always so short staffed management turned a blind eye.

DH has done 12 hour shifts in the NHS for ages. Every so often there’s a vote but it always ends up back at 12 hours core, with some 10s and 8s here and there. If he does an 8 it feels really odd.

Short working weeks with lots of non working days is great, but the day to night flip is rubbish for your health. I have no idea how people manage it with small kids but DH swops shifts a lot (he likes nights).

The reasoning behind it is, I believe, that it reduced sick days, at least those one off days not long term sick. It also provides more continuity of care for patients each day. Doing long days it was easier to plan care for the day, It also eradicated the culture of when the lazy ones were on in the morning then all the crappy jobs got left for the afternoon. Night shifts were already 10+ hours anyway.

it didn’t matter with childcare because nurseries/schools/wraparound were only open 8-6 anyway. Most of the time shifts weren’t on a set pattern and we’re out with nursery times so you needed care anyway.

In the 90’s permanent night shifts were phased out in a lot of places as the so nurses had to plan childcare around day and nights. It only worked for me as my husband worked 9-5 so could do childcare pick up/drop off etc.

I do long shifts 3 weeks of 3 and one 4 day week per month, 7am/pm - 7.15pm/am.

It’s a hard slog if 3 in a row, I’m constantly on my feet, but I could never change back to a 5 day week. I love having days off during the week when shops etc are quieter.

Also if you get a good off duty and work Mon, Tues and Wed one week and not back till Fri, Sat and Sun the following week that’s a wee bonus of a week off.

I prefer longer hours. I get more done and value my days off more.

Nurse here.. I remember when the long shifts were introduced (virtually unheard of in the 1980s) The main reason for this was that it increased staffing.For the traditional shifts nurse worked 5 shifts a week usually a combination of Early and Lates. Working 3 long days, staff now worked the equivalent of 6 shifts. I personally hated them. Not only are they exhausting but the 'overlap ' of staff was lost in the period of early afternoon when both shifts were on together. This allowed for staff training, meetings etc. All the early staff would go for lunch together when the lates came on. It was social and good for moral. That doesn't happen with long days.

I’m a nurse. 12 hour shifts are good for me, I can work three shifts a week and be almost full time, meaning four days a week are spent with my little boy. The downside to shift working is that unless you manage to get set shifts, you’re often expected to do a mixture of nights and days. That’s really hard going.

The 12.5 hour shifts were brought in more than 20 years ago in response to the EWTD which stated you had to have 12 hours between the end of one shift and the start of the next.

I like the long shifts as do most of my colleagues. Much easier for childcare and much better work life balance. Although in my role I should be doing 4 shorter shifts its just not possible right now

For example, this last week I used 3 days a/l but will have been off or 10.

There is research that shows older worker do struggle more and there can be a lag in 'productivity' mid afternoon and more mistakes in the last hour.

But I dont see an alternative? I certainly wouldn't want to back to early/back/nights

I like the convenience of 12 hour shifts.
If I need to make an appointment in the week I can. I can get my car MOT, take cats to the vet, do shopping, arrange parcel deliveries.
I really don't think I could go back to working 5 days a week.

There are times though where if you haven't slept well or have had a particularly stressful shift, it can be extra tiring doing 12 hours.

In a previous job I had to recruit nurses for a non-ward job and found it really difficult to find nurses who didn't want 12hr shifts. It seemed they'd much rather have days off than do 5 days of 7.5 hrs. Virtually impossible to find a full team who'd work Mon-Fri. Not for me, but it's seems nurses like it.

I’m a shift worker (midwife) and have done 12.5hr shifts since I was a student back in 2005, was actually 13.5hr then. I did briefly do short shifts but swiftly moved them to long as really struggled. I think you get used to them to be honest and it’s just normal. Absolutely exhausting especially only having x1 one hour break (if you’re lucky) but I’m totally used to it.
I have set shifts so have fixed childcare that my OH does drop off and collections for. My trust on the whole are pretty decent with set shifts if requested.

I do know that it has got better since I qualified in my profession. When I was a newly qualified radiographer. I did 24 hours ‘on call.’ I did my day shift of 9-5 then started as the only radiographer in the hospital meaning I didn’t realistically get any sleep till 2-3 in the morning. And the I might be up a couple of times for an emergency. The previous generation had it even worse. They were expected to stay on and do their next days work as well.
An older colleague told me how she hadn’t stopped all night and when she refused to do her next days shift as she was not fit to work she was disciplined.
Now no one does more than 12 hours.