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? 🤷‍♀️

I commented earlier on in thread. Community based nurse here. I worked today from 8am until 6.30pm. (my hours are 9-5 with half hour break) I had a can of coke all day and nothing to eat. I saw some very sick, symptomatic patients. As I said earlier, some of these are patients that may have gone in to hospice, care home or even hospital due to their complex symptoms or family situation but refuse because of visiting restrictions. I am so stretched trying to support families and sort out complex symptoms and provide psychological support. A family member was so angry today asking why, with a pandemic raging and people wanting to stay out of hospital, families trying to support their loved ones this family member demanded to know why there is not more staff to support them? Why has the government not given money to community services to support and keep these patients at home? I don't have the answers. I understand acute hospitals need to prepare and the money will be poured into there as they will take the acute cases but as I explained to this family member, nothing changed in Community, no extra staff, no innovation to help prevent hospital admission, no increase in care. Our poorly patients have 1 District nurse visit a day (more if needed for symptoms), 3 or 4 carers a day, specialist nurse support once or twice a week for symptom control and sometimes a GP, if necessary. The rest is down to family. I have nothing else I can give to them and now with my increased workload I can't even give what i should to support. We in community are drowning out there. And we are exhausted with the increase in our caseloads, work load and reduced staff yet still trying to give the same service with a smile on our faces.

Exhausted, utterly exhausted. Workload hasn't calmed down since March. Constant feeling like care isn't good enough but also as good as I can make it in the circumstances. Seeing admissions rise and I'm not even sure I have the energy to feel scares. Feeling crap at job, crap at home and definitely feeling like public now think we are doing/have doing nothing. Ironically, a large part of my role is to support other staff ..

I’m a GP, feeling an enormous sense of dread. Saw face to face patients throughout, including in a covid hot hub, and am feeling very disheartened by the media reports of “GPs need to open the surgery”. Everyone is sad, everyone is angry, and I feel like I’m taking everyone else’s emotions onto myself, never mind my own worries. Have really struggled mentally in the past 6 months, and am not sure how I will cope if we go back to what April was.

I feel exhausted and tearful. I'm kit sure I can do this again.

Just posting to add another thank you.

Gut wrenching to read. Thank you all so much 💖

The public are so selfish.

Interesting to read about PPs experience as funeral director and community nurses. I'm sorry. ICU got a brief share of the limelight (interesting to discover how few of my friends and family really understood what I did) but community and rehab services really need focusing on now.

Thinking of you all

Other than sticking to the rules, I'll be doing my bit as a GP's wife. Keeping everything going (inc. my full time job, from home, with a baby) so he can focus on his job and come home to a warm clean house, happy kids, listening ear, hug.

He's out tomorrow all day delivering c. 500 flu vaccinations at a 'walk through' clinic in a national hotspot. I'm hoping he and his staff don't get verbal abuse for asking people to wear face coverings.

I'm scared he'll bring it home to us, and I'm scared of the effects of the added pressures and risks of the coming winter on the mental health of everyone in the surgery.

I have faith in the resilience and strength of NHS staff. I don't have any faith in the government.

Thank you to all of you. My family and I will continue to follow the rules to show our respect.

NHS-er Family I'm so grateful to you, and thank you for all that you do. Loads of love from my family to yours.

@Emeraldshamrock

The public are so selfish.

Why?

If you think “the public” can stop a pandemic that’s a bit silly.

Student nurse and HCSW on the wards. I think we all feel this is the calm before the storm. DH works for a medical plastics company and they've been told to prepare for 24/7 work.

Sobering reading. I’m sorry so many of you are feeling this way.

Non-NHSer family here and we have nothing but praise for our GP and local hospital, who have been so good with several emergencies over the last few months, despite everything.

Thank you lovely NHS people. 💜

I have an interview on Monday for Senior HCSW in Community Nursing. I know in normal times it’s very busy 15 to 20 visits a day. To be honest one half of me wants to cancel ( I applied back in start of August when Covid level dropped to 400 per day) I am 59 with mild / moderate asthma, if I am successful and Occy Health give me the go ahead, I think I will be terrified in going to work everyday. The other half of me still wants to go ahead, because it’s what I enjoy ( in normal times! )
Any advice from the nurses on here, on whether I should run a mile, have the winter off, or go for it.........Damn Covid, I would have happily trotted off to my interview in normal times 🙁

All you nurses, care workers, health workers etc are angels, I for one thank you all and I can't understand the mentality of people taking it out on you x

I'm police, my DH is NHS. Hes also starting a social work degree next week, alongside work. Both of us knackered, stressed and just generally fed up. Cancelled rest days, extended hours at short notice. Our area has just been put on local lockdown with no notice and school have announced only parents can pick up pupils. We manage it most days, but on Thurs and Fri this week I'm supposed to be on a mandatory training course which is 9-5 in a location 50 mins drive from home. I can't do my specialised role without it (trauma resilience - kind of important at the minute!) and my DH starts his degree course, also at a location 40 mins from home. One of us (probably me) is going to have to cancel to pick the kids up from school.

@Bufferingkisses

If you think “the public” can stop a pandemic that’s a bit silly.

Who on earth do you think can stop it then? Because it makes Jack all difference what any government does, it's the public response that ultimately makes or mends the situation.

That's the other thing I'm sick to the back teeth of. "It's not my fault the government didn't explain it right" "it's not my fault, the rulez are annoying" etc etc etc. Since when were adults so utterly devoid of sense or reason that they couldn't work out such absolute basics?

Well no one can stop it. It’s an illness and it kills people. And even so, we can’t stay locked down indefinitely. As soon as restrictions are lifted cases go up. Most people I know including me have stuck by all the rules all along so to blame “the public” when it’s probably only a small element comparatively who aren’t obeying the rules and cases are still going up.

And even if it is the public’s fault that’s just tough shit really. You can’t make people care about other people and plenty of people might feel they’ve done enough already. Plus cases are rising everywhere including in all the countries with “better”, “more caring” and “more compliant” etc people than here.

I am due to start new role as Unit manager of
a nursing unit in a large care home.
I am more anxious this time round and I really hope we are not pressurised by anyone to admit Covid positive patients.

Sorry, I asked HQ to withdraw my post last night as I realised it really wasn't in the spirit of the thread as soon as I posted it and certainly adds nothing to this particular conversation.

@10storeylovesong

I'm police, my DH is NHS. Hes also starting a social work degree next week, alongside work. Both of us knackered, stressed and just generally fed up. Cancelled rest days, extended hours at short notice. Our area has just been put on local lockdown with no notice and school have announced only parents can pick up pupils. We manage it most days, but on Thurs and Fri this week I'm supposed to be on a mandatory training course which is 9-5 in a location 50 mins drive from home. I can't do my specialised role without it (trauma resilience - kind of important at the minute!) and my DH starts his degree course, also at a location 40 mins from home. One of us (probably me) is going to have to cancel to pick the kids up from school.

@10storeylovesong explain to the school why you can’t attend- essential work training. I really hope they can accommodate you.

BufferingKisses, I actually thought your post was spot on, though I appreciate you mightn't choose to go there on this particular thread.

From a non-NHSer I want to give thanks and support - we've not changed any of our lifestyle since lockdown, apart from forming a support bubble with my mum (she's single, on her own). Certainly no mass socialising, parties or soft play. I will continue to do everything I can to help support the NHS, not because the government tells me so, but because I can see the profound impact it has had on you all and my deepest sympathies for the struggles, challenges and sheer selfishness that you encounter.

I have had to block and delete a few conspiracy theorists on my timeline despite being family members because it has enraged me so much. Fine, fuck the government and vote differently, but don't behave recklessly just because of them and their vagueness. Behave to help the thousands of you trapped in this nightmare.

Sending love

@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!

Don’t be sure the shielded will stay home. The formerly shielded may not have a choice.

I was a shielded consultant in an acute specialty. I have returned to face to face work since shielding paused.

Many shielded healthcare workers are already back or in the process of coming back. There appears no sign we’ll be asked to shield again. Clinically extremely vulnerable staff are turning up to work today in areas with local lockdowns as the government hasn’t ordered they stay home, so employers expect them to work.

Face mask, gloves and apron is considered ‘COVID secure‘ according to many trusts, despite being unable to socially distance as per the government‘s guidance to clinically extremely vulnerable people. Many employers are offering no protection above standard PPE to their returning shielded staff, yet these staff can be asked to work with patients whose COVID-19 status is unknown. How does that make sense when we know the huge and disproportionate impact COVID-19 has already had on healthcare workers who weren’t considered higher risk of severe disease?