Surely this isn't true? Any London vets around?

[vivariumvivariumsvivaria]

A good, and previously sensible, friend of mine is a OT specialising in stroke rehab at a big London hospital.

She is now working 12 hour shifts in ITU under supervision of a specialist nurse. She's got PPE and the system seems to be working well.

However, staff are getting sick - and she told me there has been an appeal to vets and vet nurses to come and work in NHS.

Surely not?

I can't find any reports on it, and my friend is not prone to drama or delusions. I guess it makes sense in desperate times, but, the thought that times are that desperate makes me really quite scared.

Anyone heard of this?

This has been around for a week or so:
www.vettimes.co.uk/news/vets-and-nurses-needed-for-nhs-hospital-wards/

Yes. DP works in animal health for the government and him and his colleagues are shitting themselves in case they're redeployed. Only that would leave the country vulnerable to outbreaks of TB/foot and mouth/avian flu etc.

Yes it's true. I work close to (but not in that field) and vets/vet nurses have been warned/notified that they may be called in to assist in some areas in an emergency.

"Don't worry. Your grandmother is in safe hands. We've got an OT and a vet nurse looking after her"

I doubt that even Margaret Atwood would write something that dystopian.

Dentists haven’t been redeployed yet, surely they will do them first?
At least we are trained on humans 😂

Yes I’ve heard this, and dentists.

I think it’s paid employment for both dentists and vets, so optional? (Unless nhs dentist in which case I think there is an expectation of volunteering as nhs contracts are being honoured (at 80%?).

Unless of course employed by the nhs as a salaried person normally

All the nurses on the wards (except ITU) are falling over themselves where I work as covid hasn’t filled up the wards and the usual work has stopped.

Dept of Agriculture equipment has already been handed over to NHS.

Yes it's true. They study a fair bit of relevant physiology. There are large degrees of cross over. Why not?

Don't know why this would be alarming to anyone. Vets and Vet Nurses are adept at injections/IV/blood testing/monitoring vital signs/medical data collecting and handling etc. They won't be replacing Epidemiologist consultants but neither are any other professional moving into NHS care at the moment.

True. A vet friend is on a “list” to be deployed if needed. Hasn’t been called upon yet.

If anything, they'll be used as care assistants, in low care services. Same as OTs already are in some areas.

They're not going to be doing 'nursing' in ITU.

I'd rather have a vet nurse care for me than a
psychiatrist or a consultant with a specialisation other than respiratory care. Vet's are amazing. They are so knowledgable and kind, esp big animal and farm vets - I am amazed at their skill.

I have a doctor relative who has been training dentists to do, or at least assist with, ceseareans

Vets are so knowledgeable, why wouldn't they be an asset in this situation. I take my hat off to anyone who can help.

If rather have a vet than a random untrained volunteer. Vets are highly qualified in medical treatment, it seems sensible to ask them to assist if necessary. Mammals aren't that dissimilar from each other.

Ddog's vets have a better bedside manner than a lot of the drs I've met

As long as they are doing tasks that are appropriate I can't see the issue personally. I can't see that putting an IV line into a dog is that different, same with suturing, setting bones etc. Huge similarities particularly amongst mammals.

I'd much prefer a vet who is used to incubating, anaesthetics, and ventilators working on me than a gp or dr who has an extremely specialist role that has not used such equipment for many years as there career has progressed

As I understand it the order is Specialist doctors, other doctors, vets, dentists. Or that's what I was told by a dentist friend I went to uni with.

Vets are highly qualified, I wouldn't be concerned to have one looking after me.

My friend is a dentist and he has been out on call.

Vets and dentists do have skills that can be put to use. They would of course need to be given guidance and supervised. They would be given appropriate tasks.

I work for a nursing agency in London, and there aren't that many shifts around! I was told that due to the retired healthcare staff, staff re-deployment and also military medics/nurses helping, there isn't much call for us. I can understand the government saving a few £'s to not get agency workers, but we are used to being flexible and going to various wards and departments and getting on with it. We already have criminal record checks and current registration and obviously nurse humans!
I'm pregnant, and told I cant/shouldn't be working frontline. My agency has nothing phone/admin wise I can do. I tried signing up the 111, but they require that I've done their 6 week course- which isn't being run at the moment! I also tried joining the nurse sign up scheme, but they wont allow pregnant workers. Surely I could do something to help over the phone to triage and advise people? It feels like there are health staff around, that just aren't being utilised.

To add - I have a friend who is a surgeon been redeployed already to ITU. He was shitting himself because he works in orthopaedics. It's been a long time since he worked with respiratory patients. Yes people can be ventilated etc in surgery but the anaesthetist is in control. Friend just does the "carpentry".