Frontline acute AHPs, what are you and your service doing?

[spirdygirdy]

I'm an acute SLT, dysphagia caseload. We've not really been told much except that we can't really see patients now as what we do isn't 'essential contact' (urm, NBM patients with NGTs don't leave hospital and have you tried to live on modified diet for an unnecessary time period...malnutrition and dehydration is rife) and to expect redeployment to do 'care' - whatever that actually means. I can care an awful lot doing mealtime rounds, drinks, oral care. Absolutely can't do personal care. Massive bodily fluid phobia (except for sputum). No one will tell us anything, lots of shrugging and sighing.

I think we probably don't know what is coming, maybe everyone in hospital will be so sick that no one will be eating and drinking anyway (nor mobilising, or getting washed, or leaving....) because most of my AHP colleagues have been told the same. But usually, inpatient therapy teams are quite important for patient flow. I feel like they all know something that we aren't being told.

If you are an AHP, what are your services doing / planning to do? What are your community counterparts doing?

Bump

Lots of confused AHPs wandering around today asking 'what are you doing in your service?' Anxiety around what's coming and the unknown is really affecting people at the moment.

Community Children's OT here. Told we could be doing anything from our own jobs but focused on getting people out of hospital asap, or literally anything from feeding patients to answering the phone to mopping the floor. I don't mind what I do as long as I've got the correct PPE.

Focused on adult services obvs.

Cardiac physiologist, specialised in cardiac catheterisation and devices (pacemakers, defibs etc).

@Elsiebear90 are you able to carry on as normal or are a lot of procedures being stopped?

@JoyceByersWasRight what we're finding currently is no one seems to know what the correct PPE is...and everyone is disagreeing in the hospital about it. Hopefully that will get ironed out soon though!

@spirdygirdy we’re on urgent and emergency work only now, we will be moving to 24/7 working soon (currently do on call for emergency primary pci), think in a week or two some of us will be redeployed as we have too many staff for the work atm.

I'm a paediatric SLT, dysphagia trained but with paeds only and have never worked with adults or in an acute setting. No definitive info as yet but am expecting to hear something in the next week.

There is a huge amount of anxiety and worry on the ground. I'm worried about everything...... Where I'll be working, how I'll keep myself and my family safe and where we'll be when this ends

@Ijustcameforthecomments my manager was talking about using the paeds dysphagia therapists in the adult service to help the acute team when there isn't enough of them (which sort of contradicted us not being able to do our current job and the threats of deployment.)

Are you seeing any children currently?

@spirdygirdy I can absolutely see that happening with us, and it's what I'm expecting. And that scares me.

We aren't doing any face to face contacts, phone only with parents and families, point of contact etc. From speaking to colleagues and friends who work in different Trusts this seems to be similar and they are waiting to hear about redeployment too.

Today was vile. I'm still in my normal role for now but the anxiety around redeployment is through the roof for everyone. Some of the therapies have already been redeployed and effectively been given to the ward to do what they want with. They have to work 12 hours shifts and were being sarcastically called 'nurses' by the other staff. Nursing staff were being vile to them (I guess because they don't want people who aren't skilled taking more of their time up?). The AHPs all look close to tears and have no idea what they're doing and feel really vulnerable and unsafe. We're giving it a week before they are all signed off with stress. There's no direction, virtually no PPE and we all feel really unsafe. We were also told to expect to be like this for at least 12-24 weeks. I got in the car and cried.

Sounds incredibly tough. There's a thread all about NHS staff, perhaps you are on it?

Please accept these thanks (💐) from an Internet stranger for all you will be doing.

I have been redeployed to a totally unfamiliar role but at least it’s within my profession. I can’t imagine how tough and anxiety-provoking it would be to have to change jobs completely. Good luck with whatever happens. I don’t suppose any new role will get easier but at least you are bound to feel more competent quite quickly.