How to deal with friends claiming to be 'key workers'

[McDougal]

Just as the title says, really. I know a lot of admin staff in the NHS. A lot support inpatient services and have a real impact on keeping things moving. Others are PAs to managers who will be making decisions impacting upon patient care, but could do this themselves without a PA forwarding this communication on their behalf.

How do you deal with this? One friend is continuing to take her child to nursery as she's a 'key worker' when her husband is temporarily at home as his job has come to a standstill and I'm struggling to be sympathetic.

I would maybe use this time as a way to see who your friends really are. Are they the kind of people to take advantage of systems put in place to help key workers keep the country going for benefit of everyone.

This crisis is opening my eyes to the character of people I previously assumed wouldn't do quite a few questionable things. I guess fear and uncertainty expose us to the core, and many of us will be found wanting.

Helena
I totally agree with you. Unfortunately the rules, which have been set down are clear and she is adhering to them in the broadest sense. Some people will always be more selfish than others.

Once the government realise how much it's costing them, it won't last. They will look at other ways to save money.
Don't forget, the schools are also there for kids on free school meals. There will be a huge take-up from both groups and all staff will be needed. You also have to consider, shelves are empty, kids need to eat and parents are desperate.

It's almost the cowards way out. They probably thought parents wouldn't send them, even key workers who are single parents, so heads could then send staff home. And just keep a skeleton staff. The ones at home forced onto SSP.

Either that or, like the rest of us, believed everyone had common sense.

You'd hope working for the NHS they'd have more sense and stay at home.

Any person working in the NHS is a key worker, all services need to run perfectly there now more than ever, the cleaning staff, the clerks the domestic etc.
Op are you so daft? This is not the time or place for this sort of pettiness. I would say Get a life! 793 people died yesterday in Italy and we are heading in that direction. Think about how you are going to protect yourself and your family if you have nothing better to do!

@McDougal You say that part of your friend’s everyday duties includes ‘fielding calls’.

Anyone with Trust ID, understands GDPR processes, has existing relationships with staff, a desk to sit at or can find their way to the appointments duty, knows how the telephony system works AND can cope with the Great British Public on the end of the phone at the best of times is ‘key’ right now.

Be glad your friend is well & can help other people at this difficult time.

Love that a PP said 'report them anonymously to the school'.

Some MNetters love a good old 'report'. If we go into full lockdown they'll be rubbing their hands with glee asking if they should 'phone 111 because their elderly neighbour went to Tesco or someone on FB posted about being in self-isolation but they saw them chatting to a neighbour over the fence

At our hospital all roles and departments are constantly evaluating what they can do and are all being re-deployed where they are most effective. Hospitals are changing everyday so unless you know exactly what is happening...stop. It's not good right now and we are using everyone we have so please just let her crack on.

The key part of this surely is that she has someone at home who could be with the kids. I would let the school know this.
Don’t put teachers and other NHS workers at risk by sending children there who don’t need to be.

Two key workers in the family where shifts clash. If shifts don't clash
Ridiculous. Frontline health workers need to be able to sleep when not working. Looking after children during the day after a nightshift looking after covid-19 patients would be inhumane

WTF do people think the school would do? There's nothing they COULD do. And they have enough to do without fielding nonsense calls from nosey parents who've decided they know someone elses circumstances better than they themselves know.

How to “deal with her”?

I’d tell her you’re surprised that she’s is sending the dc and ask if she’s worried about the dc becoming infected by being in close contact with the children of health care professionals who spend their working days in close proximity with critically ill corona patients.

Both my Dh and I are full time employed key workers and we have arranged our schedules so that we don’t need childcare to avoid this very issue. And it isn’t easy for us, but I think it is for the best.

I know not all key workers can look after their own dc or sort out their own childcare, but if you can you really should. This would help everyone, especially your own family.

Even if the dh is ‘ lazy’ he can at least put the television on for entertainment and feed the dc every few hours. How difficult it that in this situation

@Angelw are you so daft that you haven't read the thread properly. This isn't about the mother's job, it's accepted that she's a key worker. This is about a child being sent in whilst the father is sat at home even though guidelines have made it clear that the school should be the last resort I.e there is no parent sat at home capable of watching his own child.

Well if I was a teacher I would definitely want to know that I was risking my health looking after an extra child when there was someone at home who could do so. And I would ask the parents about it in the hope of convincing them to keep their child at home. That’s WTF I would do newyearnewjob

You'd listen to gossip then think it gave you the right to confront a parent using a scheme designed for them about whether or not you think they should?

Good job you're not a teacher then.

Well you’re obviously not a teacher newyear as you don’t seem to know the difference between ask and confront!

@amandalives
How does she know the other parents are sat at home? I thought schools only closed on Friday
Who’s the Daft one here?

Our Manager's PA - is amazing and definately a key worker without her we'd have no rota for staffing, no agecny staff. We wouldn't be paid, new recruitment would freeze, no stock, no ppe equipment etc. The list is endless, she also provides amazing support to us all at hard times and goes out off her way to help us.

Missingeu but does she/he have someone else at home who could look after the children because that is the point here

What I don't understand is why you think you're entitled to know better than her, OP. She is entitled to have her children in school and she's adhering to the guidance.

It would be entirely unreasonable to expect the Govt to list individual positions within the NHS that can or cannot send their kids to school. This would lead to a huge number of queries and uncertainties from NHS staff which is the last thing anyone needs right now.

I'm also not convinced about assessing whether someone else's job is essential or not from the outside at all. I could easily work without my secretary most of the time, but a number of colleagues at the same level as me could not. That's a fact of life, different people work in different ways. It's impossible to assess without detailed knowledge.

No I'm not a teacher but I do know there are many definitions of confront including '"toface,meet, ordealwith adifficult situationorperson".

Telling a key worker entitled to use childcare that you heard a rumour that their partner was at home and not knowing anything about their circumstances, you think they shouldn't be sending their child in and you want to 'convince' them not to would be a difficult situation would it not?

I'd certainly think so if I was that key worker parent and would complain about that teacher as they would be being very unprofessional

People are telling OP to wind her neck in and then, on other threads, joining the brigade of indignation at the fact that some people aren't self-isolating. It sounds like OP's friend's child could be at home with the father and doesn't need to be in school at all. Unless they child has an ECHP or is vulnerable, I also don't see why it shouldn't be at home.

It's all too open to interpretation. Me and my dh are key workers according to the list and could send dd to school, we aren't because he is working from home and I am on maternity leave but there would be a place there with no further questions asked if we wanted it... many people will be similar and choose to take it up because there is nothing really enforcing or clarifying it.

It's a senseless risk and not going to help slow down the spread, IMO it should have been much clearer and stricter.

Nhs workers can be moved to any area where we’re required. That is what my hospitals CEO has stated.
ALL NHS WORKERS ARE KEY WORKERS.

I think it's also really unfair of you to assume her partner is sitting at home doing nothing, lots of businesses require you to continue to work, just in a different way/with changed duties - obviously he might not be able to do some of the physical elements of his job being an engineer, but he might well still be working online - are you sure he isn't?