Just a rant from a nurse

[Bestkindaparty]

I know there's a 101 threads about the nursing strike. But I just need an anonymous forum to rant.
I left home at 6am this morning and I'm only just getting home. I need a shower because someone threw their hot coffee over me because I didn't answer their buzzer fast enough and they needed a pillow. I didn't answer it quick enough because I was performing cpr on a child with suspected strep A. 12 hours into my shift without a break because we just don't have the staff.
All week on Facebook tiktok and other social media all I've seen is how disgusting us nurses are. How people will die because of the strikes all because we want more money.
Yes we want to paid fairly. We do not get paid enough for the training we do. 2300 hours of unpaid work and then other 3000 hours of uni. Plus all the responsibilities we have. Some people think we're just doctors assistants but its not like that anymore. But the main reason is we're tired of fearing for our pins (that we pay a yearly fee for) we're tired of not being able to care for people the way we want because there's not enough staff. The ratio is supposed to be 1 to 3. I can't remember when I've had less than 8 patients. We want to protect the NHS. We need people to join and to retain current staff who are leaving in droves due to burnout. What happens when there's none of us left?
We had no option but to strike. Nothing else has worked. We want to protect ours and everyone's future. Personally I don't want to cry on every drive to and from work because I'm scared someone will die due to me not being able to give the care they need.
If you've got this far thanks for reading

Thank you. Happy Christmas to you to

100% agree. It's a different world now, nursing and it's pay was suited to what it was years ago, now nurses are doing what junior doctors did 20 years ago, and junior doctors doing what consultants did, healthcare assistants are taking on more responsibilities as the nurses have too much to do. Why can't they get paid accordingly.

I think the issue is that pay is so poor that there is both a recruitment and retention issue in nursing. This is leading to the unsafe staffing levels we are seeing.

Children's volunteer, used to work with autistic kids before becoming too disabled to manage the hours etc.

I come from two teacher parents.

We support you wholeheartedly - my father and I have extensive lifelong and acquired conditions and the only faults I've had have been as a result of the obvious funding deficit and a couple of natural wankers.

I am mentally crossing my fingers that the strikes amount to something.

Community nurse here. We have no choice now. My team cover a huge geographical area, often only one RN on shift with a HCA, trying to get to the most urgent first. Prioritising patients is getting harder and harder. We support OOH hospice care as well as our own work… some nights it just feels impossible. I’ve considered leaving so many times but that’s just another patient in pain and waiting longer, so I’m hanging in there and trying to fight. We have to do this for the patients - it’s never been just about us.

I support you. Underfunding, lack of resources, lack of staff, Covid - these and so many other pressures- the least you deserve is to be paid fairly.

100% support here too.

They are. I was a healthcare assistant for many years and was trained in phlebotomy, catheterisation etc. The hospitals cannot run without us nurses hcas, junior doctors, domestics, catering staff, receptionists, porters. But it seems we're the ones shat on while these tip dogs who most of the time have never set foot on a ward reap the benefits

Doctor here

I treasure , worship and support each and every valued nurse who goes over and above all the time

This situation is an utter mess and it makes me so very angry

Wishing you all the best in the world OP 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

Nurses deserve six figure salaries.

You say just walk out and take your break, I wish it was that simple... I work on the emergency floor and anything can happen in a split second, staff shortages so there is no one to watch my bays if I take a break. Therefore risking my patients safety, which I would never do and if I did and something bad were to happen, i would be crucified. As i stated previously, its very toxic, managers don't give a shite if you need a break or not.
I support the strike completely, but for my own sanity and physical health had to walk away

Not a public sector worker, but also not one of those private sector wankers who seem to think that nurses, teachers and the like are there just to service them.

The only thing I have an issue with is why nurses and paramedics haven't gone on strike years before now, along with healthcare assistants, teachers, etc

The government rely on a combination of goodwill and desperation to keep you working while they destroy our public services to enrich themselves and their friends.

If you don't do this now, far more people are going to suffer and die in future.

Thank you.

That is the crux. No one wants to go to uni for 3 years. Work over 2 thousand hours unpaid and get into debt for a job that pays 25000 (that was my starting pay as a band 5 in Wales) Then get thrown in the deep end with people's lives in their hands

I oppose the fact that there are strikes, but so do the people who are on strike. The government should have come to negotiate a long time ago and this is on them.
My mum was a nurse and she always told us not to go into nursing because the pay and conditions were so bad - I was shocked to find out she made the same, per hour, working nights with 30 years experience, looking after people's lives, as I did in a part time student job. Then George Osborne showed up.
You and your colleagues have my support and I would pay higher taxes to pay for it.

Fellow NHS nurse here also voted to strike. However I am currently off sick as I very nearly had a breakdown. I am a ward nurse who takes the patients from you in A&E, we really do understand you can't do everything and that is difficult for nurses to accept. I am a band 6, but, need to think about my options, I cannot continue like this. I burnt out, I saw the signs but it was to late.

We cannot give a basic level of care, it's fire fighting on every shift, and yes when things go wrong which they do a lot now, the finger is pointed firmly at nurses. We cannot win. We were told the other day we were not providing timely pain relief for an end of life patient, we knew that but it really hurt to hear it out loud. We were trying to but, so many other things competing for our time, patients needing the toilet/anti biotics for a septic patient or pain relief for a terminal patient. Which would you choose?

I told my matron about this and how we had to go home every night with all of this on our mind. Response is usually, it's the same everywhere. I cannot in good conscience keep making these decisions.

I have a wealth of experience but cannot continue. The extra money would help retain and attract more nurses thus, in turn improving care and job satisfaction however, this won't increase the lack of beds.

I work in policy. You have the support of the nation for your strikes. And you are enormously valued and respected in the work you do.
Im so sorry about the vocal few who makes these comments - some are fearful, some ignorant.
I really hope you get the outcome you deserve for the strikes. You should be paid more, and have better support to avoid the stress you’re under.

RN who fully supports the strike (I couldn't in the trust I work in).

When friends / family have asked me - I've told them that it's really not about pay, everyone wants more pay in any job, it's about patient and staff safety. And if anyone who thinks we shouldn't strike spent any sort of time working in a hospital or in a community team, they would be striking for patient safety too. It's unsafe for everyone and it's not good enough for anyone's family member.

We are often asked to look at patient safety by comparing to the airline industry - when we know fine well if airlines are unsafely staffed, the plane can't take off. Yet, we are held to that standard, with the safety of a trainee pilot flying a plane that they've never flown before with a air steward who's never seen the inside of an aircraft - no one would get on that plane, yet we are expecting staff and patients to work and receive care under those safety levels.

for you OP - I am forever saying to my team "it will get better" mainly because I have to believe it myself, otherwise I couldn't do my job. I hear you about social media, and mainly avoid it because I'm a clinical manager and according to the daily Mail and many FB posts, I'm a "pen pusher", a "chief" who's taking money from another RN, but someone has to run the service and be a clinical expert within it to guide and mentor the newly qualified staff in the hope we can keep them until things improve.

My mind went to A&E, they receive everyone

I have seen it so many times, it honestly breaks you down. Wishing you a merry Christmas 🎄

I 100% support you

I worked in the US where practically everyone works 7 - 3, 3-11, 11-7. I alternated a week of 7-3 with a week of 11-7 with 4 days off together every 2 weeks. It was hard work, but the night shifts were so much less exhausting than the 12 hour shifts we used to do. Of course, in the US the pay is easily double the pay here and their private system is very wasteful and not available to everyone.
I worked in the NHS nearly 40 years and have seen so many changes, many of which are described here. I worked through so many reorganisations, each one worse than the last.
I have family and friends living in France and tbh, I wish we could switch to a similar system. Yes, it costs the individual a bit more, but those on a low income get free health care.
IMO the NHS spends far too much on things that shouldn't cost as much, and far too little on the most important things that should be prioritised.
I support the nurses 100%, but it will take more than pay increases to sort out many of the problems that cause such poor conditions.

I support the strike too. I was in hospital yesterday for a short procedure. The nurse who prepared me was saying how cold it was and that he had got sick of complaining as it never got fixed. I felt for him as he was wearing scrubs which do not look warm.

I asked if he had been striking yesterday and he said the trust had voted not to..... by 10 votes. You could see he was feeling just beaten by this decision. I later heard him talking to other nurses about their own medical issues and how they were waiting for treatments at the same and local hospitals. We have to remember that the nurses might be striking for better conditions and pay but they are also users of the NHS and feeling the frustrations that other patients feel.

OP, there are many on here who are eternally grateful you do the job you do. Thank you.

Another nurse here on Night Shift 2 of 3.
Striking was absolutely necessary. Totally in awe of your expertise and skills in dealing with that situation.
You are fantastic. ⭐️

100% support you OP and all the nurses who've had to make the awful decision to strike, must be so very hard. Much love, strength and appreciation to you all ❤️ xxx

Midwife here and I support you wholeheartedly. Gutted our union failed us with the ballots. Something needs to change asap