My husband has said I can quit my job if I want to.

[QueenofmyPrinces]

I’m a nurse, obviously anxious about what dangers and nightmares lie ahead, and my DH has just said that I don’t have to go to work if I don’t want to, and he’d rather us live on just one wage if it meant I could be kept safe.

Has anyone else working in hospitals ever felt so nervous about what’s to come that they’d consider leaving?

I do desperately want to help with the current situation but also longer term am petrified that I will be made redundant from my current job as it's charity funded and charities will be losing so much money. So I guess I'm probably thinking that if me and dh both lose our jobs we are going to be completely stuffed so if I could continue Nursing ( if I survive) at least I would have a job going forward ? Probably not the best way of looking at things but I am petrified of the economic consequences of it all too.

Tibola - Thanks that is reassuring.

Great post Tibola

It's incomparable to being in the military. I can't believe people are judging you and you need to do what is best for you and your family. It doesn't make you a bad nurse. Keep well and thank you for all the work you have done so far.

And I've got to carry on working as he was asymptomatic. So fuck knows really. If I picked it up today i have up to 2 weeks of infecting vulnerable patients and my colleagues.*

That’s what they don’t seem to care about - by not providing proper PPE we aren’t just risking ourselves, we are risking contaminating other colleagues and patients for weeks. We are making the problem worse.

And babyroobs - I think anyone who is ex-register and is signing up to help is to be commended, but like another poster said, I also think they’re mad.

Great post Tibola; May The Force to you and all your awesome colleagues 💪

Op do what you feel is right for you and your family. If I was ill and being tended to by someone who was obviously terrified and didn't want to be there it would make me feel a lot worse.

No one is listening and there is so much confusion about policies. No testing yet of HCP either.

We were told yesterday that it’s most likely to be a month before some of us get tested.

At a Trust my friend works at they had a 14 month old diagnosed with it last week. She was ok in the end but was in hospital for about 5 days with breathing difficulties.

I’m very happy that I’ve now got two days off - but also anxious as to what I’m going to return to.

I think redeployment to other areas is imminent.

@Babyroobs, was that incident reported? Operations should be looking at how that happened and what they are doing to prevent it happening again.

I’m only on 14k a year so 2.5 years of wages won’t be much for my husband is he becomes a single dad of 3.

I know two people working in London NHS and they are being tested today.

A lot of what you’re saying isn’t true

Believe me it is true, how do you k is it's not true do you work in every trust. why would we lie? I wish it was not as I would feel a lot more confident that I do. I was at work yesterday and these are the facts.

A lot of what you’re saying isn’t true

What isn’t true????

• That ICU’s are currently over run. They are not nearly at capacity
• that frontline workers won’t be tested for a month. Two people I know are being tested today

And some of it is scaremongering - ie theatres being made into wards is not a surprise it was announced ages ago and makes sense. It’s not a sign things are out of control it’s a sign that things are under control.

I appreciate everything NHS workers do (my sister is one) and it’s a terrifying time but everyone needs to do their bit and not run around like a headless chicken

.....that frontline workers won’t be tested for a month. Two people I know are being tested today

Blimey - well if 2 people you know are being tested today that must mean that every single front line HCP is being tested too

Nobody here is running about like headless chickens, we are just explaining what is happening in the Trusts we work in.

If you don’t agree with what we are saying then perhaps you should do a tour of every NHS hospital across the country so at least your “blanket views” will actually based on something other than your opinions.

Maybe you’re not a testing priority - that should give you some reassurance that you’re not highest risk and you can carry on

There is a risk.

It depends whether you can cope with that/ are willing to accept that.

If not you need to speak to your manager and ask to work in a low risk setting.

If they say no not sure what your options are

It's not about highest risk unless you have underlying medical problems every patient you encounter in hospital currently poses a risk. Di not tell us that we are using scare tactics unless you are frontline.

I am a senior frontline nurse and while there are plans in place, PPE is variable and what we do get is reduced quality and out of date (fact) I saw it myself. Have you seen the GPs currently refusing to see anybody without PPE.

I was exposed undertaking an invasive procedure yesterday without PPE. So yes we are all high risk all of us in frontline work.

But as suggested above please visit each trust and give your expert opinion, although visitors are some what restricted.

If anyone is interested, it appears 50 MPs have asked Boris Johnson for a compensation scheme for NHS workers similar to the armed forces. If that goes through that is at least something positive for those of us on the frontline.

I’m not sure a compensation scheme would make me any more willing to risk my life to be honest

My DH might retract his words though

Gallows humour Queen, I like it :)

Tibola

Out of interest. How big is the hospital you work for?

PPE is variable and what we do get is reduced quality and out of date (fact) I saw it myself.

We have recently had a delivery of several boxes of the FFP3 masks. I was finally fit tested last week and these work for me, although they won't suit everyone. Anyway, they all go out of date today!
The sticky label saying 31/3/2020 covers a previous date 31/3/2017!!!
I'm guessing they were stockpiled for a previous scare.
I'm sure they'll be just as good tomorrow as today...

There is a hospital in Naples according to sky news where no staff have become infected, so it is possible to protect HCPs from the virus. I’m struggling to copy the link on my phone.

Here it is @stairway

Hopefully the link works. Incredibly high tech, I don't know if there is anything like it in the NHS. The new Nightingale hospital looks very impressive but not sure how infection control/protection of the staff will work apart from staff wearing PPE but somehow I don't think it will be PPE of this level.

Coronavirus: The Italian COVID-19 hospital where no medics have been infected
news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-the-italian-covid-19-hospital-where-no-medics-have-been-infected-11966344

Wow - that looks amazing!!!!