I echo the others here when they say they find it inappropriate, immature and attention seeking.
Best case scenario, as somebody else here suggested, the staff are trying to communicate to us that they are being under-worked. Worst case scenario, they’ve all become part of the new era of social media narcissism. Perhaps a mixture of the two?
I’ve been to the QE In Birmingham twice since this lockdown. Once to observe - two weeks into lockdown, as hundreds of people across the world started reporting the phenomenon of “empty” hospitals and testing centres. Those videos can be found on Twitter #FilmYourHospital – contrary to media reports about said hospitals, which is a key point.
On the first occasion I went to observe Birmingham hospitals, I found them all to be underwhelmed. I even observed front & back ambulance entrances – underwhelmed.
3 days ago I had to go to A&E (for the 3rd time in my life), random strong abdominal pains for two days that I thought needed checked. I wasn’t impressed with my experience there. Regular A&E had been commandeered for Covid admissions, as I soon discovered when a nurse stopped me and held me at thermometer point (lol). She then redirected me to a side section that was the new A&E, it was a tiny place to be in and was not easy to social distance inside. 3 other people waiting. I had to wait 40 minutes for somebody to come to the desk and take my details. He was quite anti-social and dressed in casuals. Meanwhile a few nurses were just stood around talking. They were so busy talking that we patients had to keep opening the doors for other staff as nobody else could be bothered to man reception apparently. 2 hours later a doctor came, checked my vitals and said I could go, he had no answers for me. The doctor was friendly, two nurses I spoke to were very friendly & professional (not the same as the ones chit-chatting) and I spoke to a frustrated police officer.
Ironically, I was there for over two hours and could see straight into the large A&E reserved for Covid patients (via glass door) and yet not a single person was in there. Didn’t seem to stop the staff travelling through there and into our room though. Seems like such a waste of resources.
My one nurse friend told me her ward was very quiet before she took time off and she’s asking questions, but privately.
The “why” and “hows” deserve their own chapters.