Message from a Paramedic

[Jenasaurus]

A message to the public: 20 reasons...from a paramedic.

1. to everyone slagging off the TikTok videos we do, bollocks. We are human, we have feelings and we get scared and upset too, the silly videos are morale boosting and team building, a crucial aspect when treating your loved ones in their time of need, without a way of letting off steam we would break, then who would care for your nearest and dearest?

1. We are not immune and are still at risk, yet we risk ourselves coming to treat you, paramedics get sick, paramedics die, and all to treat you, so please, don’t take the piss.

1. The freebies and incentives we get are ways to make us appreciated, it makes a change from being punched on a job or spat at, so just let us enjoy them.

1. We are not part of some government conspiracy theory. We are not selecting who gets sick, neither do we want to implant you for control. If we were going to be selective, we certainly wouldn’t be choosing ‘Karen or Susan , who attended the school of life’ and got her medical knowledge from fb. (Sorry Karen/Susan)

1. If you’ve called because you think you’ve got covid, chances are you probably have, as everyone is suspected now, there is always a transmission path, however; it doesn’t mean your going to die.

1. Please look after yourself! If you can google an array of other symptoms and watch the death toll avidly on a variety of sources I’m sure you can figure out to take paracetamol for a temperature, drink fluids, take immodium for diarrhoea, and rest. You don’t need us to tell you that.

1. We don’t do ‘check overs’. That’s what your gp does. We offer life saving treatment in situations beyond your control. Please choose wisely.

1. We don’t have amazing PPE, we have what the PHE has told us to wear, and be that right or wrong it’s all we’ve got. The same as nurses, gp’s, carers, porters, Dom staff and other key workers. Please don’t think we’re ‘ok’.

1. We like the clapping. It makes us emotional, even the hard faced staff, makes us feel proud to do our job, and yes, we probably are stood close to each other outside a hospital, but we also are inside when performing cpr and airway resuscitation, remember that when you have a moan that we don’t adhere to social distancing.

10. We are separated from our families too, just like you are, we miss our mums, dads, our sisters and brothers, our nieces and nephews, even our children, and we HATE it. But we do it to protect them. It’s not about us.

11. We are bored in lockdown too, on our few days off, we spend so much time seeing Poorly people, coming home to the same 4 walls it is driving us crazy, but we do it, to protect you. Please do the same, otherwise you will be doing it for longer.

12. We get angry at the news, at politicians, and at social unrest, however we keep our lips sealed, as much as we want to shout like you do, but we don’t, as when we see you, our issue at that moment in time, is reassuring you and helping you.

13. We are proud of the people who listen to advice, don’t break the rules, we thank you, and every Thursday, we clap for you too.

14. We don’t test for covid, shit, some of us aren’t even tested! Please stop asking us, that includes asking ‘if we think you’ve got it’ without a swab, we are clueless.

15. Enjoy the time with your family, we wish we could, everyday we go to work it makes us sad to be away from them, so make the most of it, have fun doing home school, but if you miss a day, who cares?! It’s the memories that count.

16. Please stop calling us ambulance drivers. It really does make us rage. We actually went to uni, have a degree, and some even more than that. Also, yes, women drive too.

17. If you think you need to be in hospital but we don’t, we will try to help as much as we can, however don’t be surprised if we don’t take you. Hospitals are a risky place at the minute, and we are trying to help you by not taking you.

18. Please stop wearing a mask when your in the car on your own. You look a right berk and can’t catch it if no one is there.

19. To the elderly: you break our hearts at the minute, it’s a scary place right now, and seeing us tower over you in masks, taking you away from what you know upsets us too, we just want to say sorry.

20. (Most of us) love our job. Please don’t make us hate it, by going against the rules and common sense, we are working to help you. Every patient that is sick, every patient who splatters us in sick,blood and poo, and every patient who puts us at risk, we are still there, if you need us don’t be sorry, medical care is what we do. But please, from all of us, stay indoors, wash your hands, and keep clapping

lockdowncockdown That's sad, but I have had similar experiences with a family member.

Just because something is posted by a Comms team, it doesn't mean it's appropriate. They can, and do, mess up. I imagine the CEOs of many hospital trusts are going to be reminding all,staff of social media rules next week. My brother in law is a chief exec and is planning on doing just that tomorrow. Anyone breaking the rules will be disciplined, covid or not. It is inappropriate

I didn’t say anything about appropriateness, I pointed out not all trusts have the same social media policy.

I love how some posters get all arsey about being 'told off' and how paramedics are 'arrogant' and 'self-important'. Along with the Tik-Tok watching, I have to conclude that you are, in fact, 11 years old

I also hate posts from ‘a paramedic’ or ‘an intensivist (whatever that is.).

If someone wants to make a point in their professional capacity, they can put their name to it. If they don’t, I will assume that they are a random internetter with an opinion, no more or less valid than anyone else’s.

The,wording may vary, but the message is the same.

All will work under the NHS code of confidentiality and HCPs have their own professional codes of conduct.

At no point will these say that sharing videos on social media is allowed and anyone doing so will be disciplined.

FWIW I've worked in 5 different acute trusts in my career, in different parts of the country, the guidance was identical,in each

That might have been easier to read if the only paramedic I know would stop breaking lockdown rules.

I think this hero worshiping and treating the 'words' of nhs staff as gospel is dangerous as I fear it will reduce accountability and people will fear to complain as 'they are doing their best'.

19. To the elderly: you break our hearts at the minute, it’s a scary place right now, and seeing us tower over you in masks, taking you away from what you know upsets us too, we just want to say sorry.

Looking at you elderly neighbour at number 92 who's had an ambulance around 3 times this week and council volunteers bringing you food to leave at your door even though you're going to the shop every day yourself and your family are visiting you daily to bring you even more food and you are going in and out of other neighbour's homes each day!

I’ve written NHS comms policies, the good ones don’t forbid posting videos to social media because that would be shooting themselves in the foot. Royal Papworth has one of the best comms teams in the country, its FB page will make your collective hair curl.

As an aside, can we please stop cooing over "the elderly" as if they're made out of freshly baked gingerbread? My Granddad is 85, smokes like a chimney, drinks like a fish, swears like a sailor, and if anyone told him he was breaking their heart he would tell them to get fucked.

Interesting how the OP just plopped this here and ran, without adding their own thoughts/opinions on it?

@Jenasaurus

Really?? A colleague wrote that?

I found it rude,dismissive and downright unprofessional

And I've worked under NHS Comms policies. None say that filming people partying around with expensive equipment in a clinical area - with the added danger of seeing PID in the background is acceptable in any form.

@Frompcat
I agree! It’s patronising and infantilising the way people are talking about the elderly as if they’re delicate little babies we need to protect.
They have free will and are responsible for themselves.

Yawn.

It's insensitive, fucking patronising and NOT representative of everyone's views.

Some paramedics are heroes. Others are twats. Just like every other group of HCP's. The ones I know would have a real cringe-fest at this.

Or you could just not look at Ticktock. Why choose to look at something that annoys you?

But the videso are everywhere. You can't avoid them.

There was a news report on the TV the other day. It had a very serious and sombre section about the high number of deaths across Europe but then straight after it came a report or regular item showing a load of dancing and grinning people jiggling about. It just didn't seem right somehow

Why does so much of MN have to be so relentlessly negative

We are in a negative situation though, we all need to take it seriously. Don't get me wrong it's no good being miserable all the time and walking around with a long face but all this lets all jolly along stuff can be irritating, especially when you are in an area where people you know are dying. It jars

Please don't share chain emails from facebook - often they are not even from person in said job role - also post like this are arrogant - so you, one person speak for the whole ambulance service/NHS? As is seen on many threads on here, many NHS people are not fussed by clapping etc and hospitals are struggling to deal with huge amounts of stuff like easter eggs and are sending lots of them to food banks etc

@Alsohuman just looked at the Facebook page mentioned - not a tik tok in sight, or any staff dancing - just socially distanced staff looking professional. Didn’t even add a wave to my hair.... and your point was?

Whoever wrote that, paramedic or not, sounds like an arrogant, patronising bellend.

Can't really speak for everyone

Look more carefully @Twattersphere.

@Alsohuman I went down their timeline to February - if they’ve buried any dancing videos so deep that I have to look so hard to find them, they can’t be that proud of them....!

You missed the 40th birthday applause? The turning the hospital blue? The singing nurse? The Thursday clapping? Or don’t those count @Twattersphere?

@Alsohuman - stop being disingenuous - you know that I am referring to the tik toks that are rife of whole wards/clinics of staff wearing PPE (when apparently there is a shortage), using equipment as props, patient names on a whiteboard in the background.... etc etc.

I hadn’t even mentioned the Thursday clapping - at least the staff at RP social distance during clapping unlike my local hospital or the idiots on Westminster Bridge.

Like this