Thread for NHS staff

[LucheroTena]

How prepared do you think your place of work is? I work clinically in large teaching hospital and not at all confident we’re ready. Outside of wards there is very little planning and yet we have massive outpatient services. Elective stuff is being limited now but nowhere near enough capacity will be created. Millions in deficit so we’re operating on skeleton workforce and even when we can recruit no one wants to work here. Dozens of calls to our small team each day from worried patients, it’s taking up so much time to answer them all on top of already manic workload. Loads of staff with symptoms that are concerning but we’re not swabbing them and 111 uninterested unless they’ve travelled. Admin staff gleeful that they might soon be ‘working’ from home when truth is it’s difficult to get them to do much work on site let alone unsupervised. It doesn’t feel as though there is much consideration for clinical staff and now we’ll no doubt also be burdened with doing the jobs of admin. Never been as close to saying stuff it and quitting.

We will do what we can do. Save those we can and make the rest comfortable. We can do no more. We will come out the other side, exhausted but knowing we did our best.

I'm getting a bit stressed about the whole 'you've got this NHS' mentality and all the offers of free drinks (in exchange for getting everyone through it?). It feels like a lot of pressure of everyone in the NHS who are already over worked and under resourced to undertake something truly terrifying and impossible. I was just watching the sky news reports from Italy and my blood ran cold that I'm going to be part of it. Like others have said, I'm not brave or even that skilled really and I actually want to stay at home and binge watch Netflix and keep my SN child safe.

I've also realised how there is virtually no social distancing going on in hospital. How can there be I suppose.

Like others have said, I'm not brave or even that skilled really and I actually want to stay at home and binge watch Netflix

I had this wobble on another thread earlier in the week.

Today I am mostly pissed off though. I’ve just tried to pick up a prescription for inhalers and spare pred. Town is heaving. And I’m not talking about people running an urgent errand - large groups sitting on benches, family groups with both parents and children, groups of teens...

I’d happily forgo the free drinks and half price offers if people would just do what they are being asked to and stop putting NHS workers (and others) at risk.

I was so so happy to go to work last week. I’d spent Monday and Tuesday just checking bbc news, Instagram, my email, my work email and back to bbc news..... my head was wrecked. Being at work felt really positive and useful. There was a good atmosphere.

My band 8 is off for two weeks so I took the opportunity to let the other band 8s know that our specialist service could run on one nurse and the other be redeployed on the ward. I’ve agreed with my colleague we will take it in turns. My band 8 would never have admitted that, she hoards staff, equipment etc....

Spent an hour in close contact with a patient on Thursday and on Friday she was admitted with a suspected case, so I may get it over and done with soon anyway!

@universalengine

You are actually precisely the kind of NHS worker that we need.

You won’t fizzle out as months pass. You are realistic and will just get your head down and do what needs to be done.

I’d happily forgo the free drinks and half price offers if people would just do what they are being asked to and stop putting NHS workers (and others) at risk.

I agree. I'm in mental health so not quite on the frontlines fighting the virus but our patients and their well meaning family members are putting us all at risk by flouting the rules around going on leave in town etc and social distancing.

We were well prepared at the beginning of the week, extra staff etc however by yesterday I'd redeployed most of our extra, and some of out regular, staff to other areas where theres greater need. Work is very stressful now, and home isnt even a respite since DS is climbing the walls, we're only using nursery 2 days in the next month as that's all we need.

Hope people have seen the ENT notification that loss of sense of taste and/or smell may be a sign of a non symptomatic person with the virus.

Hope people have seen the ENT notification that loss of sense of taste and/or smell may be a sign of a non symptomatic person with the virus.

I saw this, both me and DP had exactly this following chest infections (really productive coughs so ruled out as Corona by gp) a couple of weeks ago. Doesnt fill me with hope if it's true. Lets hope these antibody tests come soon.

Is anyone following any procedures regarding clothes,showering etc when you get in? ☹️

My ward has had quite a few positives this weekend. We had none and then 3 at once so it was a shock. We haven't been told anything about showering but have to dispose of the plastic bag we use for uniform and wash uniform straight away on the hottest wash then iron or tumble dry it. What have they told you about showering @Luc1nda ?

Guidelines are changing daily about ppe and we now only use a surgical mask, apron and gloves wether they're positive or negative, are other trusts the same? I'm going to isolate as much as possible between each shift as I do not feel like I'm protected enough in the rooms.

@Luc1nda we haven't been given any advice at all. We've all started changing at work and I'm going to start showering when I get home but most of us feel like we're making it up as we go along.

Is anyone wearing scrubs each day? Some colleagues want scrubs even though we have uniform but it feels like there can't be enough for everyone if every NHS member of staff gets them!

Pretty much everyone here wears scrubs anyway. They’ve basically just re-emphasised the existing uniform policy with a stronger emphasis on it being better if you changed out of them before leaving work.

What have they told you about showering @Luc1nda?

It’s for DP, he’s a social worker and he’s been given no guidance or gear at all. We’re being so careful at home, but I’m thinking what’s the point if he’s coming in with it.

(He’s hospital-based).

I get the feeling we are teetering on the edge of something massive here.
^^I feel like this also.
I also think they need to suspend all non essential visits (I do a lot of reviews with patients that could be done over the phone).
^^I agree. Unlikely to be a choice soon as more nurses move onto wards.

Ponderland that PPE is not good enough. There was uproar in our trust when they suggested we wear that for suspected cases and they then back tracked. I will refuse and walk if they tell me to wear that as standard, we will be dropping like flies! 😡

@PonderLand
If you're nursing confirmed +ve Covid patients, then your PPE should at least also include Goggles/Visor.

@Ciwirocks I thought it was below adequate for suspected patients but we've all fallen into line due to the sheer volume of them. It would take us all morning just to get the breakfast done!

A doctor said we all need to be on the same page and use the same things, they said the full gown and goggles etc is only allowed if they're intubated. Some staff challenged him but he complained and was backed up!?

I want to run in and run out which isn't fair on the patient and not possible when they're on their feet and unsteady or needing help with feeding.

What are other people wearing for confirmed cases?

Is anybody else doing the signing in and out sheets on doors? We were told to sign in whenever we go in the rooms and note the length of time we spent in the room.

@1976Bo I'm not a nurse but the same rules apply to the nurses and doctors. It will probably change again for my next shift.

This is so frightening, it hasn’t really hit us here yet so we don’t have lots of patients. At the moment strongly suspected or confirmed you wear long sleeve apron, gloves, ffp and visor, routine testing you wear as you described. Dreading it changing here, I am actually terrified and feel like moving out of my house, don’t want to pass it on to my dh and kids. I know I am going to get it now and with doctors and nurses on ventilators in other parts of the country it’s giving me huge anxiety. I don’t want to be a hero I want to see my kids grow up, my shitty wage is not worth it, I honestly feel like walking

Does anyone have any hints for wearing a FFP3 mask all day without trashing your skin?

@SingforAbsolution can you use a barrier cream? The spray stuff on elderly wards is good.

I'm struggling at the moment with finding food. I know it's pathetic but I really am. I've been faced with shelf after shelf of empty space after work and I'm in work for most of them anyway.

Our trust have put a plea out for ffp masks and goggles from schools also we've made our theatres into ITU beds this week.

Im a midwife but I used to be a nurse and worked paeds ICU so I've been redeployed to ICU/ theatres.

Had an email today suggesting we leave our badges at home because of thefts!!

I'm working iny annual leave this week but this will be the last time.
From now on we won't be going home on time,will be under stress all the time and need all the rest we can get to sustain this as it is going to go on for a long time.