AIBU to ask how we can support our NHS workers in this difficult time?

[HelpFlattenTheCurve]

Bit of a rhetorical question, I admit. Posting here for traffic. I am sure it will get moved to Coronavirus thread at some point.

A huge and increasing amount of stress is and will be placed on doctors, nurses, care assistants, caterers, cleaners, and everybody else who works in NHS facilities at the moment. All of their leave has been cancelled, so more than a million people in UK will be missing family holidays, weddings, and so on, and many of them will to find someone else to care for children, older relatives, etc.

MumsnetHQ: OP has asked us to strike out the above passage because they were mistaken, and have no information to suggest that annual leave will be cancelled for NHS workers.

Those who have contact with possible or confirmed COVID-19 patients will face an especially sharp increase in the danger and discomfort of their work, and they will probably be asked to work longer hours. Many of them will see people die. NHS workers and their close family members may face an increased risk of premature illness and death compared to other people of similar age and health. This challenge will probably continue for many months.

One of the ways this community can help to #FlattenTheCurve is to support those individuals and their families who will be putting themselves in harm's way in order to treat and try to save the sickest among us. The more we can support them, the more they will be able to support our wider community. Plus, at a time like this they deserve our support - I think they are all heroes for even turning up at work.

Would any Mumsnet posters with direct knowledge of this please help us to identify charities and other organisations that can effectively, efficiently and rapidly channel offers of financial and other support to the NHS workers and their families who are most affected by this?

[Edited by MNHQ at OP's request]

Childcare!!!!

Good idea OP. A lso there are óf non NHS nurses, carers and support workers who will have to look after their clients even if they get the virus. They will have to keep going too.

I'm an NHS worker I haven't heard about A/L being cancelled. Though I suppose it's a possibility link?

As above, there are lots of social care workers- both children’s and adults who won’t shut down unless its necessary. Given that if there are any deaths not related to corona virus they will be blamed as normal. But I guess that the round of applause won’t come for these people given they aren’t ‘angels’.....

Don’t contact devices for frivolous reasons. We’ve had the most ridiculous queries clogging up the phone lines in the last couple of days. Including “Should I go on a day trip to Brighton?” FFS.

Services not devices 🤦🏻‍♀️

1. Read the nhs coronavirus advice online before ringing 111. People are ringing 111 because they have just started with a cough or temp but otherwise feel well. No need to ring 111, just self isolate. 111 is overwhelmed at present. Please only ring 111/GP if you don't find an answer to your coronavirus query online, or the online system tells you to ring 111 based on your answers.

1. Don't go and see your GP for things that can wait. If you've been meaning to get that wart or knee pain checked out for a year or so, DON'T decide to try and book an appointment now.

1. Don't request a sick note from your GP in the following conditions:

a) if you have been advised to self isolate for 14 days by 111 (111 can send you an email to give to your employer) b) if you need to self-isolate for 7 days because of a cough/temperature (you can self certify for the first 7 calendar days) c) if schools/nurseries close and you don't want to use up your annual leave and you need to take unpaid leave from work for childcare. You are not sick. It is unfair but there will be a hell of a lot of people in this position.

1. DO NOT GO TO HOSPITAL OR YOUR GP PRACTICE IF YOU HAVE A NEW COUGH OR TEMPERATURE AND SHOULD BE SELF-ISOLATING. If you are worried, speak to somebody on the phone FIRST. A lot of GPs are now doing telephone triage first. If you do not follow the guidance and you walk into a hospital/GP practice when you should be self isolating, not only are you putting others at risk but you have then created a whole lot of hassle for the GP practise/hospital department who will then need to isolate you, decontaminate/deep clean the areas you have been, and if you have been sat in a room with a GP then that GP will not be able to see any if the other patients face to face that are booked in with them for that surgery session. These patients will need to be put with another GP (who probably has a full surgery anyway), or sent home to have a telephone call.

1. If your routine operation/outpatient appointment for a non cancer related or non urgent/life-threatening problem gets cancelled/delayed, please just accept it. Don't ring up and complain about it. We appreciate an arthritic hip is very painful and debilitating but it is not going to kill you. A dangerously narrow coronary artery that needs a bypass might. ICUs are likely to be overwhelmed due to coronavirus.

1. Try and live sensibly - I.e not putting yourself in a position where you are likely to seriously injure yourself/make yourself seriously unwell and need hospital treatment. Things like driving sensibly, not drink driving, not getting absolutely wasted, not trying drugs. If we have less people attending A&E because of these potentially avoidable things then there will be more space for everyone else.

Buy us gin!

Only joking. Leave hasn't been cancelled as far as I'm aware, and neither should it. It's going to be months of increased pressure, and expecting staff to work without leave is asking for trouble. I'm happy to muck in and work my socks off (and suspect I'll be working at least part of my hours in a different role) but I'm fucked if I'm not having planned time off to recharge

@heather12911 yes to this sensible advice

Sorry I might have slightly misunderstood OP's original question 😂 but I still stand by the above as really helpful things that people can do to help NHS workers...

Please be kind....we have families and are scared and worried too

I’d like to see Domino’s et al deliver pizza to NHS staffrooms across the country. A small energy booster.

Social distancing to slow progress. Hand washing to avoid getting it.

Routine care has been or will be cancelled. Please be understanding about that.

Thank you for thinking about it.

I have done an online shop for our A and E staff room, I will repeat each week for as long as I can. I've packed it full with different things from fruit to harribo.

I’d like to see Domino’s et al deliver pizza to NHS staffrooms across the country. A small energy booster.

You are free to buy one and have it sent to staffrooms as an energy booster.

If you're in a queue at a coffee shop or similar and an emergency services worker comes in, let them go ahead of you. That way, they have a better chance of getting served before their radio goes off and they have to leave.

@NaturallyEden
Can I just ask- are you an a&e worker? If not, why are the other services- fireman, police, social care etc not as valid. That person who rescues a person having a mh crisis, the duty worker who brings out a food parcel to a starving family, the policeman dealing with antisocial behaviour etc are just as valid. Why not support the supermarket staff who are dealing with panic buying?
People forget that not all nhs jobs are emergency services or deal with immediate health care problems

Don't believe everything you read in the media. Some of the articles I've read are grossly untrue and serve only to scare the public. The NHS staff are working as hard as they can to care for pts and are under extreme pressure.
Also, if you are on a waiting list for surgery be prepared for it to be postponed - I know its shit but there we are

Send deliveroo vouchers or starbucks vouchers?

I'll be working from home and I work in mental health.... Think it's going to be a busy time.

@Underadesk Feel free to do what I have done for those services during the Covid period, and please don't assume I don't already support those services.

In the meantime I will be supporting our local A and E department, the department that has twice saved my life.

I’m a worker in one of those settings, so you can imagine why I might feel annoyed at these threads to be honest. It wasn’t a dig at you @NaturallyEden, just curiosity as to why you chose that.
Me and my colleagues support each other very much, but as you can imagine, its tough when we have to just crack on, but see someone like an NHS secretary be praised as hero.
It just feels like other essential services become forgotten about in scenarios such as this, and never receive the praise and support they also deserve.

I saw on Twitter this morning med students in the north east have teamed up together and created a Facebook page for their trusts offering babysitting services, for free for front line staff (initially), should the schools close. As they work in the trust (so are known and can get references) have dbs already and are trained in basic life support. I thought that was incredibly generous of them.

Otherwise, like a previous poster said, if your appointment gets cancelled or moved, don't kick off or write in to complain as responding to complaints take me ten times as long to do than rescheduling your appointment and unfortunately due to time scales we are compelled to investigate and respond within x time, so guess what will happen....

But otherwise, the amazing front line staff will continue to work hard, with back up from redistributed admin staff (people from finance and hr and It teams in my trust are being redeployed as cleaners, volunteers to sit with patients and feed them (to free up nurses), act as ward clerks/runners etc).

I think other services will be impacted too such as police and fire, due to the isolation rules they're anticipating a 40% sickness rate, and that's before the schools close!

X

Underadesk I agree that you don't see much praise for other workers in these situations.. NHS workers are fabulous and deserve praise. But lots of us won't be able to stop work come what may. I am a support worker for a charity and I will have to look after my clients if they get corona virus. We cant close no matter what happens.

I think honestly - just try not to be selfish. It's simple when you think about it.

-Don't take out your anger/frustration/fear on us
-Don't overload us with trivial enquiries/demands that aren't urgent
-Just tolerate it if your routine medical care isn't perfect - we are working beyond capacity
-Don't expect prescriptions for stuff you should be buying - yes I know there's no paracetamol or hand gel in shops - don't waste my time or Nhs resources asking for it on prescription

• don't put in petty complaints about 'staff attitude' if you don't get exactly what you want

-Don't put us at risk or devalue our time by asking for unnecessary home visits -if you're well enough, try to be self sufficient and not ask to be seen "just in case" - realise people may need appointments more than you

Just try and be a decent human being - I'd much rather that than biscuits 🤷‍♀️

Another tip.

If you are scheduled for an appointment, whether it's a Community Outpatient, GP or Hospital appointment, please cancel rather than not show up.

I know you might be scared of getting infected, or you're self isolating, but cancelling in good time causes less hassle than just not showing up.