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? 🤷‍♀️

HCSW in community nursing. Things are ok and have been throughout. Rural area of Scotland with very few cases/deaths. 0 in hospital and ITU and has been for weeks. Hope it continues

I’ve had anxiety for weeks about this. I’m not on a covid ward but am affected by the measures and there is some risk in my area where we will have some positive patients. Fine we have PPE.

I’m on leave this week so no idea how cases have increased. But cases higher locally.

I’m scared how the nhs can cope with normal Winter pressures and covid. Especially now so many don’t believe or aren’t scared of it anymore- it will be flu not covid etc. We don’t have enough isolation areas in A&E and general wards. Will we be blamed when people catch it in hospital?

What will happen with staffing when kids are off isolating from school or even staff themselves. I’ve talked myself into this being worse than March/April as the hospital is so much busier in winter with really sick people. Where as before it was the end of that season.

Let’s hope I’m wrong!

I saw a few mentions of 16th March being the day the U.K. locked down. It's important to remember that it was in fact a week later. There might be a tad of Gov gaslighting going on. 23rd March was the day U.K. schools stopped.

Apprehensive. There’s a slow uptick. Can feel the unease. Numbers have doubled in a week & we dread what’s coming.

It seems like there is a general sense of unease, worry and knowing what's coming. The difference will be doing covid alongside the usual admissions. I was never redeployed thankfully but I know many that have only just got back to their normal job with services ramping up over the last 6 weeks. I can't imagine worrying that services might shut down and you might go back to being redeployed.

Dreading it a&e is packed ! Be worse with covid !

My sister is stressed to bits with this new 'local lockdown' in durham. Our numbers are fairly low, but we have been lumped in with Gateshead, sunderland etc and pushed into restrictions. Basically, she cannot work due to the restrictions. My parents look after her children so she can work, but..that would take them over 6. In reality, they will break the rules so she can work, but it seems a shitty position to be in. Otherwise shes going to have to pull money from nowhere for private childcare, and instead send the kids somewhere with up to 20 other people, which is clearly safer than a 7 person house..barmy.

She says she hasn't seen any covid cases in a fair while, but is expecting them ramping up, and is very concerned given how overworked she usually is with just colds/flu..

I feel for you all. She goes from being terrified, to being raging about the handling of this. To being almost optomistic at times..then back to raging. Not at people breaking rules, at the government in general. She did used to rage about the rulebreakers, until she was in a position where she 'has to' break the rules herself in order to work..

Midwife here.

I’m dreading it. Women and families are getting fed up now and we are increasingly seeing upset and emotional women and more and more women struggling mentally postnatally due to the restrictions.

I had some horrible personal verbal abuse this week from a family, that was unwarranted and hurtful. It isn’t my fault

Sorry got that wrong, not allowed to mix households AT ALL, not even low numbers. But ok seemingly for private childcare. She was stressed when it was 6...but even more stressed now its no mixing at all, not even 2 people..

Shattered and just that horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.
I've been x-raying on ITU today.
We are into double figures ITU wise on our hospital. Other hospitals within the trust are at ITU capacity. Smaller ITU than us but still. This is an area of high incidence.

I don't feel like I can do another peak. It was mentally draining and the worry is just too much.

Our trust has been saying for a while now that we are going to be hit harder than the first wave and it just makes me want to go to bed and stay there.

ICU nurse. 4 covid patients. Three admitted over last day or so but I live in a hot spot that has had a lot of news coverage. As I drove into town today, there were huge queues literally snarling up the whole town centre for the sole covid testing station.
Seriously considering taking flexible retirement next year now- was originally going to go the year after. We’ve all been fitted for non disposable masks, a few of us will have to have the battery operated hood type ones. I’m dreading it, but hopefully we’ve got our act together now - we expanded over 4 wards to deal with it. It was madness

I think it’s the prospect of what’s to come.

The FaceTiming a dying patient to their families while holding their hand as they die.

Every bed full but overhearing phone conversations of the Drs as they get referral after referral after referral of more extremely sick patients in A&E and on the wards knowing we have absolutely no beds unless someone dies.

Putting on the PPE, sweat dripping down my back and arms, steamed up glasses, hair stuck to my face.

Not drinking fluids because I know I will need a wee & never had time to doff the garb and go then putting it all back on again.

Dreading to the pit of my stomach going into work, dreading it, dreading it.

I will never forget the look in the eyes of my lovely, kind, gentle caring colleagues. The utter sadness.

Just horrific. I can’t face it again. Hardest thing I’ve ever had to encounter and I’ve got over 20 years of nursing experience. I’ve seen some pretty awful things.
I want to run away.

@crosser62

I think it’s the prospect of what’s to come.

The FaceTiming a dying patient to their families while holding their hand as they die.

Every bed full but overhearing phone conversations of the Drs as they get referral after referral after referral of more extremely sick patients in A&E and on the wards knowing we have absolutely no beds unless someone dies.

Putting on the PPE, sweat dripping down my back and arms, steamed up glasses, hair stuck to my face.

Not drinking fluids because I know I will need a wee & never had time to doff the garb and go then putting it all back on again.

Dreading to the pit of my stomach going into work, dreading it, dreading it.

I will never forget the look in the eyes of my lovely, kind, gentle caring colleagues. The utter sadness.

Just horrific. I can’t face it again. Hardest thing I’ve ever had to encounter and I’ve got over 20 years of nursing experience. I’ve seen some pretty awful things.
I want to run away.

I only helped on the wards for a short time but I completely relate to this. One day I got in the car for a break as there was nowhere else to go and was so tempted just to drive away somewhere. The uncertainty of what the day was going to be like or where you were going to be sent was unbearable. I kept dreaming that I was one of those violin players on the titanic which didn’t help.

@CokeEnStock

I saw a few mentions of 16th March being the day the U.K. locked down. It's important to remember that it was in fact a week later. There might be a tad of Gov gaslighting going on. 23rd March was the day U.K. schools stopped.

I Heard Julia Hartley-Brewer speaking about this recently. Apparently 16th March was the date regulations were announced in the Commons and the newspapers the following day all had headlines reflecting that see here 23rd March was the date Boris appeared appeared in an official address on TV and told us we MUST stay at home here I'm not sure it is fair to claim the government are gaslighting here

You are all bloody amazing and my thoughts are with you all.

We locked down /atayed home from the 16th (monday) but we had been expected in work and kids were expected in school until the friday.

I'm also in Primary Care and am generally fearful, it feels like standing in the shadow of a tsunami

I don't work in the nhs but I do work in a Care home. We haven't had a case but we have all worked so hard to keep it that way. We are all tired though and moral is very low, makes you wonder if you've got it in you to cope with staff shortages etc again because it's so draining, sometimes getting an hours notice on a rare day off asking you to work!
We'll get on with it though and do it but I'm not gonna lie, I'm dreading it!!

This thread has made me feel sick. I feel so awful for everyone who is carrying the mental load of what is to come and it’s so upsetting to read this when the whole country seems to think that it’s over now. People genuinely believe that it’s somehow become a less dangerous virus, or that the NHS is ‘back to normal’ now.
Why are we not seeing the media talk about what’s really coming? Do they just not want to be accused of scaremongering?
People are just bored of it now and have had enough. But surely that’s because they do not fully understand or are no longer being properly reminded of the reality heading our way.
I feel like this thread needs to be in mainstream media instead of all the crap we are being fed about schools being safe, soft play being open and cases rising without hospitalisations or death being a ‘thing’ now.

Full respect to all you NHS and care home workers. Thank you.

For once a thread that actually should be picked up by the media.

Thank you everyone for what you do

I know you guys won't do it.

But I really think you should work to rule until you get some decent pay rises. I think it's been disgraceful the way you have been treated, and it will be the same this time.

Clapping doesn't pay the bills.

DH and I will continue wearing masks, social distancing and avoiding crowds, pretty similar to lockdown. And we’ll do whatever is needed, whatever we can do to support the NHS just as they always support us.

Love and gratitude to you all. Any politician who promised you better pay and conditions, and proper support for the NHS, would get my vote.

@SparklingLime

Huge gratitude from a non-NHSer, but also so much anger and sadness that you are being put in this situation again. Words are inadequate.

I can't put it any better than this