People need to stop knitting and donating chocolate etc our hospital!

[AuntyClockWise]

I was drafted in to help nursing staff today sort through 300 (yes, really) Easter eggs that have been donated over the past few weeks and sort these for food banks and care homes and childcare hubs. Took half a day plus lots of storage space.

A lady turned up at the hospital with 30 home made/sewn face masks. She was very angry when the main desk had to turn her away and decline the items as apparently she'd spent ages on them and had travelled a long way to get them to the hospital. Again, more time spent dealing with this person and not to mention the fact she had travelled unnecessarily.

Where has this idea come from for people to donate so much stuff to hospitals? Don't people realise that PPE has to meet a certain level of safety standard so we need to get from reliable and tested companies? Do people think that we have the space and time to deal with all the food and drinks donated?

Our hospital has put out a facebook post today to reiterate we can't accept donations like these and there are now hundreds of angry responses calling us ungrateful and that they're annoyed this wasn't said sooner as they've spent weeks knitting and sewing various things for the nurses and doctors to use on the wards.

I'm sure people are trying to be nice but why isn't common sense prevailing? Why not donate time and energy to a place which has the resources and ability to accept such donations?

Of course, I'm only able to speak for common feelings shared today in my place of work. Some other people here might say they are loving the donations.

Just wanted to suggest on here that if you are considering donating something to your local hospital, I'd suggest phoning the main desk first or sending them an email as the likelihood is that they can't accept it.

Police, firefighters, care home workers, public transport the list is endless

Last time i checked 43 nhs staff have died with CV. That includes retired staff, a marie curie nurse (so not NHS), lab staff and others not in direct contact with patients.

The nhs employs 1.5m staff. So that’s 0.003% or the workforce.

Looking at TFL, as they are the only public travel company I could find, 26 staff have died with CV. They employ 28,000, so that’s 0.1% of the workforce...

So would you rather be an NHS nurse or a bus driver? Who won’t be getting the money off groceries, special shopping hours, the clap or any other accolades?

Who is more at risk?

I’ve just seen a news item on dentists and their lack of PPE etc. Why are dentists, who are generally private practitioners and for profit, seen as more worthy than care homes, where the attitude seems to be they’re in it for the money, they’re on their own...

As for the police, there is an ex post apartheid SA police officer on twitter who’s said the toxicity toward the police here has shocked him. He served when the people had a reason to hate the police, yet the hate for UK police is off the scale...

The media aren’t giving balance at all. It’s all about PPE and the NHS- makes me wonder what they aren’t reporting...

I’d also like to know whether charities like Macmillan are funding PPE for their own staff or taking it from NHS supplies..

You have summed it up perfectly @bluebluezoo nurses aren't the only people risking health there are loads of other people out there too getting no special treatment. I wouldn't like to have to get on a bus right now never mind drive one. Maybe if the bus drivers were on TV using bin bags for ppe people would sew some for them but no they just get on with their jobs and some of them are dying for it. I'm in no way taking anything away from nurses who are doing a great job just pointing out so are other people

The plight of the bus drivers is horrendous. 20 London bus drivers have died.

best of intentions but a little misplaced

YANBU.

I donated something to my local hospital, but contacted someone before to make sure they wanted the items, and they collected on their way to work.

Most donations I'm aware of have first made sure the donations are welcome.

Who would think hospitals would want home made masks? Baffling.

I can perfectly understand that dealing with whatever Easter eggs, which might be contaminated, is very low priority on a busy hospital.

There’s an account on Twitter by “crimegirl”

The pinned post is a tally of all law professionals who have died- solicitors, barristers, police etc. That were still working, often with no PPE etc. It’s a growing list.

I wouldn't have thought 300 Easter eggs is that many for a hospital. How many staff do you have? Can't you put them in boxes by entrances/exits and put a sign saying "Please help yourself with love and thanks from the general public".

Well the sign needs to say, "Thank you for working a 12 hour shift in PPE to protect your self and your patients, now please take home a possible source of infection to give your children.

I doubt the eggs were for individuals, it's probably more of a case of a shop dumping stock.

I did see one post that seemed a good idea, it was someone coordinating scrubs, they were giving out an approved pattern and material that could be used, they were collecting from crafters and then sending them where they had been requested. I'm not sure if she washed them as well.

Scrubs don't need to be sterile so seemed sensible.

I’m in a hospital trying to manage this. On top of all the very clear points already made about the risks to staff and the public from making donations and the fact that much of it is unneeded, we also have businesses trying to impress the public by their “generosity”. We’ve had people trying to walk the corridors handing out lukewarm food that’s a breeding ground for every food poisoning virus you care to name. Restaurants running fake crowdfunding appeals to give meals to our staff where the money goes in their pocket. It is becoming a nigh on impossible task to manage and believe me we are trying. The political situation is making this worse and the public are refusing to listen. It’s really simple, if you want to donate, check what’s needed. Don’t leave home. Don’t try and bring your left over Sunday lunch to feed our staff.

Well don't make videos crying u can't get food, don't make videos making PPE out of binbags, don't make videos crying PPE is having to be reused. Don't flash badges to jump queues. Don't beg on Facebook and then the public might get the message.
I haven't donated any easter eggs or hand sewn PPE to hospitals but I can see why people think there's a need for it

What a perfect post. "I haven't even thought about misplaced generosity but I will take umbrage on behalf of people who have"

@Tonz to be fair the majority of workers aren’t asking for anything /begging/ posting videos

The messages from nhs staff on Facebook asking for certain things might not even be real.

I've seen more than one 'my friend who is an itu nurse's being passed around with craft requests. It's like posting the rainbows to the nightingale hospital. There was nothing verifiably official in that request, but people believed it anyway.

I have no idea who starts them and what their motivation is.

Tonz - It surely takes only limited intelligence to understand that not everyone wants or needs the same thing, especially when it comes to Easter eggs and face masks that might protect others from you, but won’t save you when nursing seriously ill patients? I mean, if one of your children asked for a new jumper and you went out and got one for their cousin in the next county instead, in the wrong size and in a style they hated, would you expect them to be delighted at the uncalled for present?

To be fair Pomegranatepompom it only takes one NHS angel sobbing on national tv at the end of her shift in a supermarket car park for the millions watching to feel they ought to do something, and to extrapolate from one individual and foolishly assume that there must be thousands in the same position.
Over the last decade or so, the public has stepped up over and over again when the state has failed. When did foodbanks become a thing?
So stop unprofessional begging by NHS staff to the general public. Make it a disciplinary offence. Then there won’t be the response to the emotional blackmail going on. Although stopping the response is alwats harder than triggering it.

Most workers are mortified about the sobbing videos.
Yes begging should be referred to nmc.

There are quite a lot posting on the local groups posting as individuals, asking what businesses can do for them, and bizarrely this far into lockdown, someone asking if anyone has anywhere they can stay for free as they have decided as a HCA they shouldn't be living with their shielded parents. Tik tok is full of either people dancing in full PPE in what look like empty wards, or crying because they cant get paracetamol after work (neither could anyone else at the time); of course it's only a very small minority, but add it to the media's coverage and it's no wonder people are flocking. I get a feeling the tide will start to turn if people keep demanding more and more, and ruin it for those getting on with their jobs in challenging circumstances.

I really think it’s a tiny majority but it’s bloody annoying and unnecessary and detracts from what needs to be done.
My trust doesn’t tolerate such nonsense- SM monitored - as far as possible.

I get a feeling the tide will start to turn if people keep demanding more and more, and ruin it for those getting on with their jobs in challenging circumstances.

The general public are a fickle bunch on the whole and it really doesn't take much for the mood to swing.

So often “giving” is about the giver feeling good rather than the recipient actually receiving something necessary/helpful.

I'm not saying the majority are but there hasn't been a day gone by where I haven't seen nhs on TV saying what they are struggling for and that's why the publics think they are being helpful

That’s usually how charity works with humans, rarely do people give time, money or goods if they don’t feel good about doing so.
I’m hoping the usual tide of boredom and indifference, combined with looking for the next buzz will mean the zealots move on.

Yanbu It's only helpful if it's actually helpful! Otherwise it's just an empty gesture to make the giver feel good. I'm sure people have the best intentions but...

The problem is not one of the begging posts says a particular hospital. It's always nhs staff can't buy food nhs staff don't have PPE etc etc so if the public see nhs struggling videos or posts they want to help nhs everywhere. Nobody's doing it to inconvenience a particular hospital.

"So stop unprofessional begging by NHS staff to the general public. Make it a disciplinary offence."

We should definitely NOT be gagging NHS staff. If they do not have adequate PPE, we need to know about it. Very, very dangerous what you're suggesting.
Remember the whistleblower in China?