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? 🤷‍♀️

[Bluelinings]

23rd was the day of lockdown.

Before that we had social distancing measures.

Do those who say otherwise say countries like Sweden were in lockdown?

No.

Please don’t perpetuate the gaslighting.

[Bluelinings]

Just have to say a huge thanks to all NHS staff for everything they have and will do. You deserve a thousand pay rises.

[toiletpaper]

ICU nurse here. We've had our first covid +ve patient admitted tonight, a good four ish months after our last one. I know this is the start of things to come, it's only going to get worse from now. Dreading having to wear the non-disposable masks we now have to start wearing and not being able to drink on the only 5 minute break you can manage in 12 hours as you know you'll need to pee otherwise. Absolutely fucking dreading it.

[SimplySteveRedux]

Just saying a huge thank you.

[eaglejulesk]

Another non-NHSer here - I'm not even in the UK in fact. Just wanted to say how sorry I am that you are having to deal with all this. Reading through various threads on MN it seems there are so many selfish people who seem to care only about themselves and their own families and are not willing to do what is best for the greater good. You guys are the ones who have to deal with the fallout from that.

[echt]

I teach, though not in the UK, and am in lockdown 4 in Melbourne.

I'm beyond pissed off with the whiny-arsed posters on MN who can't take the inconvenience. Grrr.

Many many for all you do.

[Goatinthegarden]

Another one beyond grateful for the NHS. I’m one of the lucky ones that has made it to my 30s with only a couple of brief A&E visits for minor injuries and since I was about six years old, have only ever been to a GP for a smear test or vaccination.

My dad is terminally ill and has been since before this pandemic and his NHS service has been fantastic throughout. He suffers from dementia too and staff bent over backwards to ensure my mum could be involved in his treatment when restrictions meant he had to go in to hospital alone. So thank you so much for all that you do.

I’m a teacher (Scotland, so have been back 5weeks) and one positive that we’ve noticed is that staff have not had the usually high levels of coughs and colds we usually have with a new class. I also booked (my first ever) flu jab at the pharmacy and the first available appointment wasn’t until mid-Oct so sounds like the uptake might be quite high this year.

[AlecTrevelyan006]

Why is the UK facing an extraordinary second wave that has failed to materialise in every other country on earth?

Why are we so special???

[AlecTrevelyan006]

the safe summer spread of the virus wasn’t allowed to happen due to the continued restrictions.

so if a second wave does happen (I’m not convinced it will) the winter may be worse now than it otherwise would have been because of that.

[cheeseycharlie]

To everyone saying there won't be rainbows and clapping: our gratitude hasn't disappeared. I know there are stressed people turning up wanting tests etc and behaving badly. But no one seriously blames NHS for lack of testing and general infrastructure. Thank you all and sorry it's so hard

[Stopyourhavering64]

Specialist nurse but was also shielding as I'm CEV and risk assessment puts me in very high risk group
However I'm still working from home doing a lot of specialist trial follow up , but missing my colleagues....feeling very guilty about not being in work to spread the workload ...I've been nurse for 33 years and never known anything like this but so grateful and proud of all my colleagues

[Hailtomyteeth]

Not-NHS here. Reading this thread is scary but reassuring because as a random in the outside world it looks like everyone has forgotten the virus. My family haven't, and it's good to know that the NHS hasn't, either. Thank you.

[YellowandGreenToBeSeen]

I wouldn’t dream of doing it as it’s not my place but my god, I wish for Piers Morgan to pick this thread up. Not normally a fan but he’s been a voice of ‘where the fuck are the government?’ throughout this pandemic.

To all of you: thank you for all you do.

[EmmaGrundyForPM]

I'm not NHS but work in Adult Social Care for an LA. I'm having almost daily meetings with CCG colleagues about rising cases. Most of the work I do at the moment is around care homes and am not looking forward to the next few months.

[Sniffypup]

@Sidge what do you suggest childcare settings and schools do? Let the children in with symptoms (even though government guidelines tell us not to), work with those children all day with no distancing or PPE and let them spread the joy amongst the class? Then they could all go home and take it to their families and I could bring it home to mine.
If we choose to believe one parent that the symptoms are because of the flu vaccine then we have to also believe those who say their child’s cough has been checked by the GP and is fine to be in school (even when that parent has form for sending their child in sick).
Common sense tells me this winter will be very disruptive as a teacher and a parent. Any enlightenment from you as to how we know which parents to believe would be great.

[Mrstwiddle]

A second wave is happening in Canada too (and probably other places) It’s not exclusively a British issue @AlecTrevelyan006

[Hyperfish101]

It’s no big deal though. It’s not killing anyone now. Flu is much worse. There has been a total overreaction. I can’t have my personal freedom to go to the pub impinged just because a few old people will die....................

All of above I have read on MN. Depressing.

[Sidge]

@Sniffypup you apply some sort of protocol and have guidance from your education authority.

A nasal flu vaccine may cause low grade fever and runny nose, malaise. It will not cause Covid like symptoms such as persistent cough. The NHS guidelines do not say assume every illness symptom requires exclusion and isolation, they’re quite specific to high fever, cough and loss of taste and/or smell.

I know it’s hard, believe me I do. But childcare providers need to understand the guidance, and not apply it rashly with no specificity. I know that’s hard when parents aren’t always honest though. 🙁

[mosscarpet]

nhs clinician working in adult mental health here. Certainly not calm before the storm for me - I am right in the middle of a perfect storm! Things have been horrendous in our deprartment for the last 2 months, and are genuinely getting worse by the day. Massive increase in completed and attempted suicides, hospital admissions, mental health act assessments etc and people just generally needing increased support. If our therapy groups have to stop running again , or if face to face visits are reduced again I dread to think what will happen to all our patients. It is beyond awful

[ValancyRedfern]

That's awful mosscarpet. Do you think there is a better way things could be done than closing down therapy groups and face to face services? I feel they should be allowed despite Covid restrictions.

[crosser62]

The honeymoon is over.

I have been able to park my car at work since lockdown for free & easily.
Only because I kicked up a stink about having to pay £92 per month PLUS fines totalling £40-50 per month while being 720 on the waiting list for a permit. To be able to park at my hospital and go to work.
Not paying that while head to toe in PPE for 12 hours on a ward full of dying COVID patient. NOT paying that.

So I emailed the chief exec. The following day, the barriers were raised, staff could park for free.

I got to work last week to be asked “staff or visitor?”.
When I said staff, I was told that there is no staff parking on site, I have to find somewhere off site.
Then drove out of an empty car park, reserved for visitors to try to find somewhere else to park.

All surrounding roads are...residents permits only parking.
Found somewhere and after walking, got to work 45 minutes late for my shift.
It was dark when I finished my shift so had to walk in the dark to my car, alone after a shit day at work.
Oh, did I mention that we have a huge staff shortage?
So my hospital can afford to send the nurses away it seems.
Fucking absolutely raging.
Read my previous posts, they are a description of one day amongst months of this.
Piers Morgan, doesn’t know the half of it, neither does the press, neither does the government, neither does the public.
Neither do they care.
We crack on, we politely and quietly ask for fair pay, grumble about parking, working conditions, get spat at, assaulted, sworn at, shouted at, abused. I git kicked in the chest just this year by a patient.
I’m a nurse. This is my reality.
I’m constantly looking for a different job,
The honeymoon is definitely over, if COVID ever was a honeymoon.
The perks of COVID that should be our everyday.
Sick somehow.

[olympicsrock]

I’m feeling much less frightened about it all than I did in March . ( surgeon, got covid badly and fully recovered). We have PPE, we know how to use it. There are processes in place. One way systems etc.
At the moment we are in full flow trying to get through the waiting list and even doing routine ops. I think there will be far fewer hospital admissions , ITU admissions and deaths as those people who are more vulnerable will stay at home or shield.
Honestly people - we CAN do this!

[Greysparkles]

I just hope that there is adequate PPE this time around. I was put in situations I never should have been in before.

But I won't hold my breath

[daytripper28]

@olympicsrock thanks for the encouraging post - much needed.

Staff nurse here - people on our unit are generally fed up and have lost faith in this government and in the track and test system -

It really does not appear to be going well

[JacketPotatoQueen]

@Tinkerbell2209

GP Practice Admin here
Am shattered. Am fed up of being shouted at and sworn at. One little old lady last week told me to “F off” yesterday when I asked her to put a mask on. Last week a man refused to wear a mask for his face to face appointment despite having done so previously. When we said the nurse wouldn’t see him without, he said, well, I won’t have my appointment then, expecting us to roll over and see him without. When we said that’s fine, Sir, that’s your choice, he told the Receptionist that if he died because he hadn’t been seen it would be on her head. He was having his ears syringed!

Now everyone is moaning they can’t have their flu jab yet when we haven’t even had our first delivery of vaccines yet - that’s my fault apparently. We’re all on our knees yet it’s still not enough.

I think this is what shocks me more than anything else, the general attitude of the public towards wearing masks and trying to keep others safe. Why is everyone so selfish? The economy really will implode if we have to go back into lockdown, which will affect everyone, and clearly everyone needs the NHS too - so why not all work together to try and protect both our amazing NHS, and the economy? I just don’t understand!