NHSers - how are we doing / feeling? Calm before the storm?

[treebarking]

I'm in a low incidence area but even our covid ward has reopened with patients. No one on ITU but starting to see sicker covid patients coming in. Bigger regional hospital has a full unit already. No reduction in general admissions and if anything, they are more complex. Services were slowly getting back to normal, working through waiting lists etc but lags of 6 months for input. Infrastructure slowly going back to normal. Massive staff shortages as loads off with mental health sickness absence. Heating has gone on...hating mask life etc.

Today everyone suddenly realised that we might be going back to March or something similar. All the covid area processes again alongside running an acute service for non covid patients (as everyone won't stay at home this time round). Incorporating covid into the running of the hospital etc. Everyone has been in good spirits but today....really flat. Not sure we've got enough reserves to do it again.

We're therapies btw so go all over the hospital rather than ward based.

How is everyone else doing? Does anyone know what the plan is for the nightingales? 🤷‍♀️

Domicillary carer here. We are getting prepared for the next wave, covid car kits, stopping trips out, reducing the anpunt of people in and out being put in place. Absolute dread with us as well :( big hugs to all the hospital staff and care home staff, we will all get through this together but it will be a shit show at the same time.

iheartniles - that sounds awful and I’m very to sorry about the staff that have passed alway.

The unit I work in is spread across 4 separate ward and all wards are short staffed as it is. We are constantly receiving messages asking if any staff members can come in and cover shifts (as Bank) and that’s just not going to work as who would voluntary choose to come to a horrendous working environment, nobody wants to be there on the days they have to be, never mind subjecting themselves to it at other times

At the peak in the spring/early summer we had 3 members of staff of our ward be deployed to ITU and I’m sure it will be requested again over winter but I just don’t see how our ward will survive that when we are short staffed as it is.

We were all mentally, physically and emotionally pushed to the limit when things were bad earlier this year and we can’t cope with the thought of another 6 months of it

@OhTheRoses

Our GP services have been a zillion times better since they went on-line. Order repeats through portal, note sympt9ms on portal and dr phones back. No 35 minutes on hold only to talk to a rude and obstructive receptionist.

DD has had her implant out and a scan in outpatients. It's been working better than ever here since technology was allowed in.

Except for our local MH Trust where we is under the adult ADHD Team. 6 months in no face to face appointments, no video calls, no timed apts - patients expected to be available between 9 to 5 for a ten mi ute call and to take their own bp and weight, etc. If a call is missed the admin office is closed. Vulnerable patients have to phone the main switchboard in a state to explain and report an issue. It is an absolute disgrace that 6 months in they haven't been able to get themselves organised.

I think the NHS could get themselves far better organised and start looking for some of the failures to be addressed by Sir Simon Stevens rather than the government. He has been extraordinarily quiet throughout all of this. Where is he?

Nobody who joins the army complains if there's a war. I don't understand why NHS workers complain when there's a pandemic which is the equivalent.

FWIW I've worked 50 to 60 hour wèks during lockdown to help keep my c9mplex organisation running costs customers and to try to ensure it survives. I am glad to have a job despite inordinate stress and responsibility.

Odfod

Anyone had fly vaccine yet? I feel strangely reassured now that I won’t have to deal with Covid AND flu at the same tome hopefully!
In other news, our small team is now reduced by a third with colleagues isolating 🙈

I was on mat leave during the first wabe. I've been back on the ward a fortnight
I've no idea what to expect.

ICU nurse. Right now, we have a 'oh sh*t here we go again' feeling as it hots up.

Just had the email wanting volunteers on covid ward for 6 months. The trust obviously haven't learnt a thing as the last members of staff who worked there for 6 months are mental broken.
And just read a thread on here how everyone has given up and won't comply.

@labellesusage

I'm on annual leave for the next 8 days. Not expecting to be going back to my usual role at this rate, had just about settled back in. Hoping I'm not redeployed to the same ward as last time, but probably will be.

Nobody who joins the army complains if there's a war. I don't understand why NHS workers complain when there's a pandemic which is the equivalent

Absolutely, I became a midwife just to work in a pandemic.... or maybe not Wise up!

Oh look, OhTheRoses back with the usual venom and obsession with the NHS.

About 30% of staff caught Covid during the first outbreak. We had half a dozen die. ITU and Covid ward staff stayed well, all those who died were in reception, portering, catering or outpatient nursing, ie areas with poor / no PPE. I had a close colleague die and knew very well a further 5 who were ventilated.

Lots of senior staff buggered off home and we haven’t seen them since. Some only attending Teams meetings, the rest of the time god only knows what they are doing...there are also lots still shielding although shielding ended some time ago...

These two paragraphs make me incredibly angry.

@OhTheRoses, what is the nature of your organisation? Can you work from home? If not, is it public facing? If public facing, do you have mitigation such as social distancing and PPE available to you? Who do you think gives a shit how many hours you worked over lockdown when you're so dismissive and condescending?

I’m not NHS but by God I feel for you and applaud everything you do and are doing. I’ve been arguing with the selfish idiots on another thread today who just have to see their mother, sisters and sit down for dinner and a movie and will not change their stance even though they are in a London. By god I wish they would read this thread.

My anger at the selfish idiots is so strong, but yours must know no bounds. If only the population could follow the instructions and limit everything that is unnecessary. I’m proud of every one of you and in despair at the selfish idiots that abound.

My business has suffered hugely from this but you know life is more important. Though I do realise that for many the financial implications of being closed down is destroying and life changing. It’s the ones who just refuse to change their behaviour because it doesn’t suit them.

@OhTheRoses - I’ve seen some insensitive stuff on MN during the time I’ve been on here, but your posts on this thread really take the biscuit. This is a thread for NHS staff to share how they are feeling with what is currently happening / likely to come.

I am not an NHS worker - but have kept an eye on this thread to remind myself of what others are doing in really difficult circumstances. Your views are your views and am sure there are plenty of other threads in the coronavirus section where you can air them. This thread is definitely not one of them.

NHS staff - thank you for all you’ve done so far and for what you continue to do. My frustration with the pub culture whinging obviously pales into insignificance compared to how you all feel, but please know that some of us are trying our best to minimise risk as much as possible.

OhtheRoses has form for NHS bashing.
Misplaced anger sadly.
With a side of misogyny.

Unfortunately where I am people are leaving in droves.
Lockdown was horrendously stressful,with whole teams redeployed, masses of staff self iso/ sick/wfh.
Those who were left have worked themselves into the ground.
Desperately short staffed, sometimes 4/5 nurses down each shift.
Yep heading for a crisis.

@SaltyAndFresh.
I echo your thoughts where are thouse managers? If I have to do one more teams meeting I will conbust. Why do the wider multidisciplinary team constantly e mail. I am a nurse ffs do not want to be permanently attached to my laptop.
Am very close to leaving just cant watch so much suffering and pain. Not prepared to see work mates die.

@glitterwobbles, I used to work in the NHS. There were far too many band 7+ who would mainly sit on their arses in an officer while the band 3s did the donkey work. It was infuriating.

@SaltyAndFresh

About 30% of staff caught Covid during the first outbreak. We had half a dozen die. ITU and Covid ward staff stayed well, all those who died were in reception, portering, catering or outpatient nursing, ie areas with poor / no PPE. I had a close colleague die and knew very well a further 5 who were ventilated.

Lots of senior staff buggered off home and we haven’t seen them since. Some only attending Teams meetings, the rest of the time god only knows what they are doing...there are also lots still shielding although shielding ended some time ago...

These two paragraphs make me incredibly angry.

Me too. How can these "senior staff" live with themselves? Would love to know how much they are earning.

Well we have just found out (via the press obviously) that fines for people breaching the RTT clocks return at the end of October. Despite the fact our capacity has been hugely cut meaning we aren't caught up with the patients we had to move before, never mind the ones referred in since. So we are absolutely guaranteed to fail at every turn.

The temporary measures introduced to get us through initially make life much harder but we worked with it because we understand everyone is doing their best. Sadly we've just been told they are staying even though we've worked tirelessly to no longer need them. They need them because they implemented changes without testing and they didn't think them through properly. So every aspect of admin now takes 2 or 3 times as long and that won't change.

Honestly we're feeling worse and worse.

Here we go again. Kent is in a bad way, Portsmouth ICU overwhelmed. This is just the beginning of third wave.

I wasn't planning to see any other family over Christmas, but I feel for all those disappointed.

I'm tired. We have run out of bed. As in no beds for covid patients.
Wards are closed which has a knock on effect as no beds either for stroke, cardiac, gastro . Patients on beds in a&e as no ward to put them.
We have more positive patients in the trust that what we did in April.
We are all getting anxious again.
This is now causing friction at home as my partner is starting to question what's actually going on. He stated that if I didn't work in the hospital he wouldn't believe there's a virus 😟
So now I have nobody to talk to.
I can't come home and vent that it's been a bad shift as he spends his time on you tube watching people film and chat shit about the truth . Banging my head against a brick wall.
I wish I could tell him what happens to my patients, but I can't due to confidentiality but as some point I may explode with home truths.
Hard to now live with.

@drinkingwineoutofamug
Didn't want to read and run.
I'm really sorry you can't vent at home. (Better half is NHS,and I kinda feel it's my contribution to listen and be there to be listening ear/lightening rod).
Nothing else to say,other than I hope you get through the next couple of months as best as possible

@Ridcully82 , thank you. My only blessing is I work on the same ward as my daughter, so we vent at each other. But that's not the same as having a supportive partner.
I'm sure your other half is appreciative of your support , even if your agreeing with sympathetic nods and haven't a clue what their talking about.
I didn't even get a congratulations off him when I qualified last week 🙃

@drinkingwineoutofamug I make tea when she gets home,and add any sugar dependant on how bad a day it was:it appears surprisingly affective 😉
Glad at least you've got your daughter. And congratulations on qualifying!

@drinkingwineoutofamug congratulations!!! Woop woop!!! Go you!

I say this kindly, as a very venerable clinician, on the assumption you’re newer in the profession... confidentiality is important, but so is unloading. I’m not saying you say, “You know Mrs Smith from the school run - haemorrhoids the size of grapefruit she has!” But it’s perfectly okay and understood that people go home and unload on their partners when they need to.