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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think that a night out should not be plastered all over the papers containing lies and crap?

46 replies

deanychip · 14/12/2008 16:27

I work for the NHS.
About a month ago i attended a ball entitled the "celebration ball".

We each payed £20 a head and the rest of the night was sponsered by aprox 8 medical companies.

This ball was a celebration of the achievements of SHOP FLOOR NURSES.
No managers, no Doctors just ordinary nurses who go above and beyond ehat they chould for thier area of work, to make life better for the staff and most importantly for the patients.
Most of them have worked within the hospital for 15 years or more, they are well respected and liked individuals. A very long time coming and very well deserved.
Not one penny came from the NHS purse.

And yet, all over the local papers for 2 weeks now, front page, letters from disgusted people at the waste of NHS resources because this paper has not mentioned that we payed for it ourselves and were sponsored by companies.

I am so upset and feel SO guilty and have nothing to feel guilty for.
This last year alone, i have made savings of 12k for my dept alone, i work hard and long hours.
I have had the weekend off and yet have gone into my work yesterday and today for a totaL OF 5 hours which i will not get back and wont get paid for.
What shits they are in the newspaper trade.

So, is this unreasonable or not?

OP posts:

misdee · 14/12/2008 17:02

oh was the trust where they would pay for a lads prosethic legs or something? i read soemthing about that.

nurses are amazing i miss dh nurses sometimes. i must go with him to the next appointment so they can meet dd4.

cheshirekitty · 14/12/2008 17:03

deanychip, at the end of the day you are doing a worthwhile job. The journalist shit will go straight to hell.

Write a letter to the editor. I also read this story and immediately knew it was not true.

Get the RCN involved and make them retract the story.

Involve your MP as what they published was lies.

MEGawayinamangerCLEARY · 14/12/2008 17:10

there must be a communication dept at trust ask/tell them to release a statement explaining the funding

Am nurse also and v.peeved on your behalf.

Original poster

deanychip · 14/12/2008 17:36

The whole of the medical records dept came to the ball....they saved up £5 per month collected on payday for thier tickets.......

Jeez, can we have nothing nice?!

OP posts:

StealthPolarBear · 14/12/2008 17:40

I thought it was generally a no no for NHS staff to accept freebies from pharmaceutical companies? (I work for the NHS but never get within spitting distance of a freebie ) I know at least one Trust where it's policy.
You haven't done anything wrong and I too would be furious. But am surprised this situation ever came about iyswim

edam · 14/12/2008 17:48

I'm not surprised you are pissed off, but has no-one bothered to write to the paper or put in a complaint spelling out exactly what they've got wrong?

poinsettydog · 14/12/2008 18:01

write a letter to the letters page of the paper and get it signed by a load of nurses.

cheshirekitty · 14/12/2008 18:28

Refuse to nurse any journalists of this rag until they print a retraction.

laweaselmys · 14/12/2008 18:34

If the trust won't don't anything you definately should - how unfair though, you must be really busy as it is without having to run around rallying other nurses to complain with you.

Couldn't you sue for libel over this? (or rather, threaten to...)

edam · 14/12/2008 19:30

Yeah, I'd like to know WHO decided the press office weren't going to put out a statement correcting this story? Was it a junior press officer, or the head of communications? Because it suggests there's a worrying, unsupportive attitude there.

cheshirekitty · 14/12/2008 19:40

What - NHS managers not supporting front line clinical staff? What a surprise.

flouncerpoppedbackforadvice · 14/12/2008 19:43

The Daily mail attacks the public sector becuase a great proprtion of front line public sector workers are women. The Daily Mail hates women and even more than that hates women who work.

LittleMonkeysMummysAXmasFairy · 14/12/2008 19:45

I know what you mean. I'm a teacher in a SEN school - run by a local charity. Bloody papers round here can't seem to get the fact that we aren't funded by the LEA! They've even had the cheek to comment negatively when we got a new pool installed (not for the good of the community, council money not being put to good use, etc) WTF!! If the sodding community want a pool let them fund their own (incidently I don't think anyone would want to swim in ours after the kids have been in it ) and it took us years to fundraise for it!!

Most of the press i've had misfortune to meet have been prats!

(apologises if anyone works for the press )

cheshirekitty · 14/12/2008 19:47

But the 2 main nurse hating journos on the Daily Mail are women. In one story a few weeks ago, journo complained because nurses had not cut her relatives hair.

Believe me, I can safely deliver a baby.

I can safely put in a mirena coil.

I can safely resus you if you arrest.

If I cut your hair, you would look like something out of fright night!!!

DoubleBluff · 14/12/2008 19:47

flouncer i never thought of itl like that bastards

flouncerpoppedbackforadvice · 14/12/2008 22:58

Cheshire women are always mean to each other, you just need to look at this website to realise that.

If we can't support each other we can never expect men to.

thegreatescape · 15/12/2008 13:18

There was a daily mail article I think a couple of months ago which was discussed on here. The journalist's mother had been in hospital and she (I think it was a she) didn't think her mother's care was up to standard and totally slagged the nurses. It seemed she was using her job for a personal vendetta as the nurses involved had no way of defending themselves. I don't know if the care received was good/bad but remember some points where she didn't seem to understand the issues, such as manual handling. I think the nurse wouldn't lift her mother or similar and she criticised her for this. No doubt the same journalist would also be outraged if a nurse lifted her mother and injured her and I'm sure she wouldn't pay that nurse's mortgage if the nurse crippled herself to please this journo. Don't remember all the issues but there were definitely some I was as they seemed grossly unfair/ignorant of nurses' responsibilities/training

georgimama · 15/12/2008 13:26

I don't blame you for being upset but I do think that there may be a perception that the drug companies were getting something out of it (I haven't read the articles so I am only guessing) by sponsoring the event? When my mum was a nurse she always refused to go on meals that drug reps were paying for. The only one in her department who did, and I did think she was a bit daft for it as her stance wasn't going to make a blind bit of difference when all the consultants were happy to go, but she thought it was wrong.

smoggie · 15/12/2008 14:23

just out of interest - why in your OP are you at pains to point ou that it was a night for just nurses, not doctors etc.
Would it not have been OK had it been a night out for doctors too??
Just curious - seemed like a strange justification for the night out being "legit".
Not trying to pick a fight, just interested in your reason for higlighting it.

Original poster

deanychip · 15/12/2008 15:53

smogie, there were lots of Docs there that night, it was an open invite for all staff but it was the nursing staff and other front line workers who recieved awards.

I was making the point that it was for people who dont normally get any recognition, just critisism.
In my experience, Docs and managers get freebies from companies. (some at the hospital were i work had an all expenses paid "training" course in America..wtf!)

Drug companies take them out for all expenses paid meals, they seem to do ok.

Nurses have to go to these training events by A) paying for themselves and B) going on their days off.

Wasnt a night for jsut nurses, was an open invite for all. In fact some of the consultants that were there did some of the nominating of staff so it was lovely for all concerned.
This thing in the paper just ruined it.

OP posts:

wingandprayer · 15/12/2008 16:02

What does your union have to say about it? They normally have journalists they know are on side in a local paper - can they not help here?

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