Do people realise that covid patients don't wear masks?

[Arundelclassrom]

Just interested to hear if people know this. I see a lot on these threads that people think it's "ok for doctors and nurses because they have effective ppe". Do you realise that masks do not protect you, they protect others from you? Do you realise covid patients who are struggling to breathe do not wear masks? Do you realise they are coughing all over us as we provide care?

I'm not saying this to complain - this is my job and I do it willingly because I care. I'm just getting really frustrated seeing people who apparently think there is no risk involved in my job, and that theirs is somehow more risky than a job where we are in an enclosed space with actual confirmed covid patients...

@dietnopelovechocolatetoomuch

*JocelynSchnitt Its amazing that test and trace have hospitals quite low down on places to catch covid in that case. Like, really, really low down the list.*

That's because staff have to put off blue tooth in hospitals/care setting so that they cannot be traced.

Stop being so passive. Go and eat somewhere else. You are not obligated tp sit in a room where you can’t socially distance.

Only one person is allowed in our staff room at any time. Most people either sit in their car or grab a quick bite whilst working.

Sorry Diet-wrong post quoted!

@Newfosterer

I think it’s a disgrace that NHS staff are told to not use the track and trace app. I’m a midwife, we wear PPE yes, however at lunch break we have to all sit together in a staff room that isn’t even 2m square and of course masks have to be removed to eat. So if a colleague then developed Covid all those staff members are at risk, but won’t be told to isolate as track and trace doesn’t apply to us.

We are told we can turn tracing back on at lunch but also need to keep 2m. That is easier said than done.

[quote Ilovecheese53]@Staffy1 managers are under a lot of pressure to conform to their managers and the people high at the top. They are aware it’s not good enough but I suppose they don’t want to be the one to go against the grain (they can’t really can they) it would look bad.

The only way most of the time you would wear full PPE is it a patient was on a C-app machine and ICU their patients will be most likely ventilated so that’s the reason for difference in PPE for compared to other wards.[/quote]
I do think managers could do more to improve working conditions. They are mainly interested in furthering their own careers in my opinion, and only “yes people “ progress, so they end up not questioning policies which are obviously wrong. For example, in the beginning of the last lockdown, when we were redeployed, there were loads of staff who were all told to wait in one room where we would be told where to go. This happened every morning. No ppe allowed until on the actual ward. It was impossible to distance. I complained, but it always fell on deaf ears. It eventually changed a few weeks after, but only after quite a few staff tested positive.

@Newfosterer you need to make more of a fuss about the common room.
Staff dinning rooms/rest rooms should be socially distanced.
We have to be 2m apart and we have a track and trace we code to scan if we are eating or resting in ours.

@Watermelon999 band 6 sisters are basically in that role for a reason and you couldn’t pay me enough money to do it in the world. I have a lovely manager and she really gets stuck in. However when it comes to the crunch she has a job to do and unfortunately it involves floating along with what’s not always correct but I guess if they didn’t they probably wouldn’t be in that role.

@Newfosterer

I think it’s a disgrace that NHS staff are told to not use the track and trace app. I’m a midwife, we wear PPE yes, however at lunch break we have to all sit together in a staff room that isn’t even 2m square and of course masks have to be removed to eat. So if a colleague then developed Covid all those staff members are at risk, but won’t be told to isolate as track and trace doesn’t apply to us.

We’ve had it drummed into us that when we’re out of clinical settings - so in a office, staff room, hospital canteen Or even just walking down the corridor we absolutely must adhere to social distancing to avoid whole teams having to self isolate if one of us tests positive.

We cannot all fit in the staff room so some go back to their cars to eat (not recommended as really ought to change out of uniform first), some just skip breaks, others go outside if the weather’s being kind.

I’m amazed that you’re not told the same.