A Maximum BMI for nurses

[soapydopeybubbles]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/10/21/how-public-thinks-nhs-should-change/

According to the Telegraph one of the most popular ideas for improving the NHS is to have a maximum BMI for nurses. This is from the website set up for suggestions but also continues in the comments for the article.

I'm a neonatal nurse and I am classed as obese. I wear L/XL scrubs and I'm a dress size 14-16.

Does the public honestly think that I'd be a better nurse if I was thinner? Or, as written in the comments, if I wore a cap and apron, had no tattoos and didn't dye my hair?

I'm a large woman but I'm pretty sure I wasn't magically better and making up complex medications, changing ridiculously tiny nappies and resuscitating sick newborns when I was rather thinner than I am now.

I can see why people might have the opinion that if we're giving out health advice we should lead by example but it's mainly the doctors giving the advice and the nurses doing the hands on caring.

I just don't understand why there seems to be such a focus on how a particular staff group looks, rather than the actual issues in the NHS.

AIBU?

I know quite a lot of nurses. most of them are a bit on the chubbier side, and usually have lots of tattoos. dyed hair is also popular. they're all great nurses.
okay, so it's not a great example to set. but no fat nurse has ever blamed my chronic pain on me being a bit overweight. others have. they HAVE said it might help if I lost a bit, but they've never said it's the reason, because they know it's not.

if they set a maximum BMI, they're going to lose a lot of good, well trained nurses from a career path already struggling to retain staff.

while I'm glad to see the back of the Tories, the new lot seem to think all of societies ills are caused by some people being overweight.

I mean, yes and no. they're not setting the best example, but they do know what advice to give.
just like someone shouldn't have to be trying to have children in order to give advice to someone trying to conceive.

I wish I was as large as you aren’t.
Sadly I don’t seem to be going in the right direction at all. X

I know a community nurse who drinks two bottles of wine a night. People can't always practice what they preach.

Body fascism from the judgiest group in society, the upper middle class.

Honestly we have enough trouble recruiting and retaining nurses without these out of touch loons trying to decrease the talent pool arbitrarily.

🙄

Notice the same people moaning about others are the first and most vociferous to complain when they are under scrutiny ( Daily Fail screeching about WFA?)

Lead by example. The government want to save the NHS by making us all healthier....and I've herd plenty passing comments from people in hospital who think it's double standards that we have to improve our health but the staff are fat. Most consultants arnt unhealthy, maybe because they are smarter and understand consequences? Certainly wonder why the nurses are so big.

This is just such an obnoxious comment. Ultimately the whole approach is discriminating against people because of their bodies which is one of the most superficial attitudes there is.

The staff are paid to do their job. They aren’t paid to have to alter their appearance because people might take umbrage at who says what to them. If people want to listen to advice, they are free to listen. If they want to get arsey about what the person telling them looks like, well that’s their loss and their problem.

Fat is a feminist issue, a class issue and a working conditions issue. Guess which role has the underpaid, female shift workers?

And if being judgemental and mean is allowed, it's "aren't".

I’m a theatre nurse, also a size 14-16.
I hadn’t read that article but frankly it’s a ridiculous concept.
I would love to find the time to eat very healthily but am forever rushed off my feet .
The surgeons often supply us with biscuits and sweets so when energy levels drop I find myself eating these on a much needed break!
Plus I feel I need to be quite strong for the positioning of patients, wheeling the trolleys, transferring the patient from trolley to table etc…
It’s terrible that nurses are constantly judged whilst doing a very difficult job.

I wouldn't want my hair cut by a hairdresser with crap hair, nor ould I want a nurse who was obese. I'm not the only person to think it, maybe just say it. Sorry if that hurts everyone feelings, but then we do live in a world now where most people don't like the hard truth.

Surely you wouldn’t want your hair cut by the hairdresser’s hairdresser, assuming they don’t cut their own hair?

No. That's just plain petty. Never understand why people try to correct someone's spelling or grammar online as when we all type fast on a tiny little phone keyboard. You must be a slow typer! I have a degree in Geology so your option on my phone spelling certainly is like water off a ducks back.

My husband is “obese” - he’s a nurse. He has fat as does most of the population, but he isn’t fat. He lifts weights 5-6 days a week 🤷🏼‍♀️ I’m not a nurse but work a HCA at the hospital, I’m also fat & have health issues, absolutely nothing to do with my weight though. I’m perfectly capable of doing 99% of what everyone else can do - I just can’t lift heavy on my own due to having a hernia following on from surgery.

It isn’t hard truth.

It’s an attitude, and it’s not mine, and not plenty of other people’s.

And I can’t stand my hairdresser’s hairstyle but she cuts mine well because she is professional and listens to how I like it and does her job. I don’t require her to look a certain way.

The Telegraph has become more right wing than ever recently. Awful.

You re not sick enough then are you, to need a nurse....

the bottom line is if you were screaming in pain following a fall or another painful condition, you'd not give a shiny shit who administered treatment and you'd be grateful for it.

this "survey" is just diversion, the public in the main are getting fatter, but instead of addressing that, lets find someone else to blame.

why do these sorts of articles and attitudes always, every time, come from the rightwing?

It’s surprised me this morning. There’s a paean of praise for Rayner by Isabel Oakeshott of all people and an article that could have been written by any Labour voter on here by Judith Woods. Not only am I astonished, I’m also suspicious.

@blossomtoes Yes I was astonished to read that too what on earth is going on!

No idea. Perhaps the editor is on holiday.

OP this issue gets under my skin as well, and I think it's become an obsession for MSM and MN too in recent months.
Having read your post I sympathise with you as you have a lot to deal with and I should think it's difficult making time for yourself with those family commitments.

I've struggled with my weight for 30 years and I'm now on steroid medication which makes it virtually impossible to lose weight.
I eat sensibly and walk at least 4 miles on most days despite suffering from arthritis, but I really can't improve my situation with this so I just soldier on. 😐

👀 sits next to you

I’ve not read any of the posts on the thread but the first one. I always feel a bit of an anti nurse rhetoric on here. Perhaps I am wrong. I remember another thread on here recently where multiple people argued that nurses weren’t professionals; despite having a degree and professional registration, answering and abiding by a code from a registered body. Anyway…..

I am a nurse. I’m not an overweight nurse (although according to my BMI, apparently I’ve always been close) I’ll tell you exactly why nurses become overweight. Two words; shift work and stress. They do wild things to you. I won’t bore people with a typical hospital nursing shift, but in the frontline roles it’s pretty hellish. You work insane hours, with minimal time for breaks. Your days off are recovering from said shifts, and after said stressful shifts generally the last thing you want to do is tuck into a salad. It’s all about the carbs and comfort foods.

I’m pretty good at meal prepping before shifts but not everyone is, or has the time to do so if they have more pressing responsibilities at home. The reality is it’s easier to grab ready meals a lot of the time. We can’t go out for lunch as we don’t have time. Hospitals generally don’t have canteens or decent eateries; you are lucky if hospitals have a small tuck shop or something like a Costa or a Subway on site. So you don’t have the option of buying anything healthy on site.

Working 9-5 with an hours lunch is something no hospital nurse will experience. You clock in at 07:30, which in reality means getting there at 07:15. I leave the house at 06:30. You don’t clock out until 20:00 but that’s if you are lucky; it’s not abnormal to get off late. I’m generally not home until gone 21:00pm, then it’s straight to bed. It’s lot a very conductive life to promote health unfortunately so we can’t always practice what we preach.

Maybe if we had wonderful shift patterns allowing for proper time of. Appropriate meal breaks would be wonderful, so I didn't get chronic indigestion from stuffing any old food down my throat while on the run.
You think silly bug infested hats and restrictive belted aprons would make us work better. There is a reason for wearing trousers while moving and handling patients is you get less restrictive on movements and randy old men looking up your skirts.

Good God! We want lovely caring people to work in the NHS, who cares what size they are? Thank you OP for what you do, and I really really hope they don't enforce any stupid rules like this!

And also - going back to the old point that rugby players are all over the ideal BMI figures - it's such a random measure of health. If someone can't climb the stairs or lift a patient then maybe there is a concern, but this sounds crazy!

More to do with leading by example, not about being incompetent.

I must admit, when I've been seen by a fat doctor, I have less trust in them, despite being overweight myself.

Same for the swimming coach.

Not saying it's right but it's easy to think, well if the health professionals are not being healthy, it can't be that harmful.