Don’t know what to do

[Getinthetent]

I’ve posted before but no one answered it.

I work in a care home as a cleaner and I’ve come to work today and been told we have 3 suspected cases, one of which is on end of life and he has pneumonia. I’ve still got to go into their rooms and clean with masks and one pair of goggles that we have to share. The other cleaner has said she can’t go in the rooms because the has copd but I’ve got asthma and I’ve been told because I’m younger and have a less severe illness that I have to go in.

I’ve got a message from the home manager to say that we aren’t allowed any annual leave and are all expected to do overtime and have no excuse as we can send our kids to school (not on a weekend though and the only person I have to look after Dd is my dad who has heart problems). She’s also said if we have a cold or a chesty cough then we still have to come to work and treat them just as a cold or chesty cough.

I don’t want to be here. I’m panicking so much. I have anxiety anyway and all this is tipping me over the edge. I was thinking about just killing myself last night because I just can’t deal with it all. Care home staff are basically just collateral damage and no one gives a flying fuck about us. I won’t be able to claim anything if I leave my job and I don’t want to be forced into universal credit and still be expected to look for a job whilst all this goes on but I don’t know what else I can do.

I know probably no one will reply to this and no one gives a shit because we’re all in the same boat and there’s people who have it worse but I don’t have anyone to talk to and I just don’t know what to do.

I really do care. This sounds so hard and I’m so sorry.
This sounds ridiculous but do you have any swimming goggles so you at least have your own pair? I am not in a positive to give safety advice so someone can else may know better if that is ok.
Very very difficult and wish I had answers and thinking of you

I’m so sorry you are having to go through this, the manager sounds awful. Could you look for another job ? We have loads of jobs being advertised on Facebook for cleaners.

I understand your anxiety. I think you need to explain that you can't work weekends as your dad can't be put at risk. Did you receive one of the letters from the government stating that you need to isolate for 3 months due to your asthma ? My dh received one. If you did then you need to show it to your employer. If not then I'm not sure you have a reason to not go to work but you need to discuss your concerns with your manager as she should be assessing who is most at risk. It's hard because so many people have health conditions of one sort or another so can be deemed at risk, but your manager needs to be taking the risk seriously whilst making sure that the residents are cared for properly and the place kept clean.

I care too. I’m so sorry you’re in this position. Can you contact ACAS?

This seems good advice from people.
Also supermarkets are heavily recruiting , I don’t know if this would help.

I work in a care home and I think your manager is being extremely unreasonable.
Sharing protective clothing seems extremely counterproductive but maybe they are struggling to get extra. Have you tried speaking to your boss about more protective wear?
Our home has been sent masks/gloves/aprons etc.
They also cannot ask you to go in if you or anyone in your home has a cough or high temperature.
And I could be wrong but I believe if you have to self isolate for those reasons you cannot lose your job, someone more knowledgeable should advise you on that though.
Lastly you are most definitely appreciated. If not by your employer (shame on them) certainly by the people you care for, their families and many many others. You are doing an extremely important job, especially now.

I'd apply to the supermarkets as you'd be safer there. I would refuse to go back, even to work my notice. They're trying to force you to work in an environment that's completely unsafe.

I would contact them via email. If they call, don't answer the phone. This forces them to put anything in writing. I saw a letter sent to local carers by one of the care homes in our local press saying if they had corona they had to go to their doctors and have a blood test - contrary to all guidance - to try to bully employees to come in even if they were sick!

Or you could email and say someone you live with has symptoms so you're self isolating for 14 says as per government guidance. I wouldn't make any calls to them though - you need their responses in writing. Ultimately I'm afraid I would be putting my health before their profits though. I feel so sorry for the patients but ultimately it's the management that have made a bad situation worse.

And I am really sorry it's made you feel like this. Please don't feel guilty - this is what your employers want. They're effectively guilting you into coming in, even if you are sick and could potentially kill all the residents. These people don't care about anyone but themselves - the blame lies with them completely.

Also, I have had to leave a job before because my employers made it impossible to continue and in those circumstances I did get job seekers allowance. I had to go for an interview though.

What about one of the jobs being advertised for supermarkets at the moment instead, just for the time being?