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Original poster

To come out of retirement for Coronavirus

254 replies

AlexaAmbidextra · 02/03/2020 22:15

Are you a retired nurse or doctor? I’m a retired nurse and there’s no way on God’s earth I’m coming out of retirement for this. Not because of the personal risk but the fact that I’m just done with working. Should I be more unselfish?

OP posts:
OrangeCinnamon · 03/03/2020 12:04

@datasgingercatspot calm down

I was merely trying to get the point across that noone is forced to do anything until such time as they can be forced. Obviously times like that would be equivalent to a disaster like I dont know a nuclear fall out so a long long way off 🙄
Im not suggesting the government should conscript at any stage except disaster and I certainly dont have that influence!

Alsohuman · 03/03/2020 12:05

At the end of the day - IF it becomes that much of a crisis surely the govt would consider action like conscription?

I don’t think even a Johnson government would be insane enough to do something only ever done in extremis at a time of war. Even when it has been done, there were age limits. Start conscripting pensioners into national service and the Tories could kiss most of their voters goodbye instantly.

OrangeCinnamon · 03/03/2020 12:09

Perhaps I should have said 'if it becomes the absolute end of world disaster some seem to think it will'
FfsConfusedGrin

datasgingercatspot · 03/03/2020 12:13

Start conscripting pensioners into national service and the Tories could kiss most of their voters goodbye instantly.

And even so you still cannot compel such individuals as they can elect going to jail instead.

SirChing · 03/03/2020 12:27

I'd rather go to prison. At least if you stayed in your cell you have less chance of catching the virus than nursing acutely unwell patients.

SirChing · 03/03/2020 12:39

@Reginabambina I fail to see how a person who has doesnt want to come out of early retirement and put themselves in harm's way, is more selfish than the choice made not to replace those staff when they left, and lots of the public being ok with that failure to replace.

If people accept a service working at much lower staffing levels than needed, possibly because they thought it would never affect them, then how are they not the selfish ones?

SirChing · 03/03/2020 12:39

Random extra "has" there!

Grumpbum123 · 03/03/2020 12:45

I’m on a career break and I’m not going back for anything

Reginabambina · 03/03/2020 13:18

@SirChing more than one party can be selfish in most given scenarios although here the words you’re looking for in regards to the NHS/government would be foolish, shortsighted, underfunded and so on given that there isn’t really a personal interest which is a prerequisite for selfishness.

WikkiTikkiWoo · 03/03/2020 15:02

An awful lot of retired nurses I know still do occasional bank shifts.

Original poster
AlexaAmbidextra · 03/03/2020 15:13

Reginabambina. I’ll ask you again. For how many years have you been in full-time paid work?

OP posts:
cuparfull · 03/03/2020 16:30

PhilCornwall1...No but I bet you would expect other people to put themselves at risk on your behalf were you to fall ill...hah

How selfish are some people on here! Where has altruism gone from our national identity. Has the sacrifice of your forefathers been in vain?
I imagine had our parents behaved in the same manner, we'd be part of Germany by now.
To be sure, if any of you or relations were really unwell, laying in your own poo in a hospital bed it won't matter to you if its a volunteer or a martian who cleans you up, changes your sheets, mops your brow, feeds you etc. Thats what those selfless volunteers who no longer hold valid nursing registrations could help with. You don't need qualifications to provide good care.
Should this become a National Emergency it should be all hands to the pumps!

SnoozyLou · 03/03/2020 16:32

It says on the BBC's latest coverage:

"...recently retired doctors and nurses may be called back to work."

Think I'd probably change my number.

PhilCornwall1 · 03/03/2020 16:36

@cuparfull if it was their job, that's what they are paid to do. If it's not their job, no I wouldn't expect them to do anything for me in the slightest.

SnoozyLou · 03/03/2020 16:38

@cuparfull I would hope, after that speech, to see you right at the front of the queue.

I'm not, nor ever was, a medical professional. I love the way some people are offering retirees up, despite the fact that they haven't maintained professional training, and many of them are in the most vulnerable demographic.

And people who take early retirement do sometimes do so on the grounds of ill health too.

Alsohuman · 03/03/2020 16:42

I imagine had our parents behaved in the same manner, we'd be part of Germany by now

Funnily enough people of retirement age weren’t asked to contribute to the war effort. I think you’ve watched too many episodes of Dads’ Army.

tud41 · 03/03/2020 16:46

In no way am i saying you should come out of retirement and it is the last thing on the Governments plan. also i think it would be more of a lets ask as some people will happily come out and do it.

Some people i guess could see it similar to National Service in the Army if they ever bought that in for what ever reason. Young and healthy people would be a better option to bring in than retirees in that case. The young then may argue why should they have to put their lives at risk etc etc.

In this case i and they would much rather a retired doctor who know what they were doing be asked to help out than maybe just throwing student nurses and doctors in at the deep end if you see what i mean.

Like i have said i would not begrudge anyone saying no they dont want to but my guess is they would rather ask experienced NHS workers to come back rather than just signing off all students to get the job done.

cuparfull · 03/03/2020 16:53

Damned right, as an ex nurse long lapsed, I would volunteer in a national emergency. Some of us are grateful to have the life we have in this country after having been born abroad.

SnoozyLou · 03/03/2020 16:59

@cuparfull Thank you. I honestly don't think it's right to put this on retirees though. I definitely think we should be utilising our service medics, while at the same time investing more in NHS. As someone said at the start, where are these 50,000 extra nurses after all?

tud41 · 03/03/2020 17:05

@SirChing Considering Labour's [im assuming that is who you voted for, apologies if wrong] motto is that it is "For the many not the few", a lot of left wing supporters seemed to have abandoned that theory...

Alsohuman · 03/03/2020 17:08

Here we go, when unable to find a rational pro Tory argument resort to “But Labour...” So fucking tedious and predictable.

tud41 · 03/03/2020 17:13

There is not really an argument to be had. BJ has suggested something, in no way has he said it will be compulsory and even if 10/20% of retired HCW agreed to do it then surely it is a positive suggestion by him. Or if a family member was seriously ill in hospital would you rather a student who doesn't really know what they are doing take care of them?

TwinsTrollsAndHunz · 03/03/2020 17:18

My registration lapsed last year. I won’t be going back. No way, no how.

Alsohuman · 03/03/2020 17:21

Or if a family member was seriously ill in hospital would you rather a student who doesn't really know what they are doing take care of them?

Why assume student doctors and nurses don’t know what they’re doing? That’s a very odd attitude. My stepdaughter is a very recently qualified ITU nurse, her colleagues say she’s supremely talented, I’d far rather have her than someone who’s been retired for five years.

tud41 · 03/03/2020 17:41

they may well be talented but without the experience we dont know how well they would cope in a crisis. I guess what im trying to say is its like a sports team you need a balance of experienced heads and young talent to get a decent balance to win games. The students may well be very talented but the experience that retirees could bring in even just to help the students could be invaluable.

Also like i have said it will be a choice and some will happily come and help and the ones that don't should never be made to feel guilty about it. But if BJ asking the question gets some of them to willingly come back then he has to be praised for it surely.