NHS workers do you support school closures.

[Teeninabeanie]

Just that really. Do NHS workers feel that the current situation in hospitals justifies some teaching unions telling members not to work tomorrow?
I reckon one of the main justifications must be to save the NHS from being overwhelmed. Do you feel like this action is necessary to support you in doing your jobs or is it OTT and not going to make any difference to your work?

Likely to be of little help if people don't stick to the rules, but yes, I think it is essential.

some teaching unions telling members not to work tomorrow?
That's not true.

“Today, the National Education Union (NEU) has taken the difficult decision to advise its members in primary schools, early years settings and special schools that it is unsafe to return to work teaching full classes on Monday.” (From an NEU email.)
Ok @MrsHamlet they’re being advised not to go in. Not really relevant to my question. I just want to know whether the nhs think the action would be helpful or not.

I support school closures and I think we should be in a proper lockdown. Both myself and kids dad are nhs workers

It's entirely relevant since you're using it to canvas responses.

I support school closures and think there should be a full lockdown like the first one with very simple, clear rules.

We're tier 4 and people are still driving to tourist attractions around the county to go on their 'exercise' and the places are rammed. People are also meeting with multiple households with captions and FB saying 'had so much fun with our bubble' when they've met in someone's house with 3 full families or something. People are purposely misinterpreting the rules so they can do what they want.

@MrsHamlet I genuinely didn’t think that wording would be the focus of my post. I’m a teacher myself and am in the other main union. I have colleagues who are being ADVISED to not go in tomorrow. They’ve been sent a letter to give to our Headteacher explaining why they’re not going in. They feel like if they do go in then they’re going against the union, not supporting colleagues in more risky tier 4 areas blah blah blah. They feel like there is pressure not to go in.
Anyways, that doesn’t matter to my question. I could have (and clearly should have) just put do nhs workers support teachers not going into work tomorrow. The union bit does not change the question.

I’ve got mixed feelings about it if I’m honest. I do think that schools need to close but I’m also horrified at the action of the unions, especially unison as I’m a member. I haven’t really and truly been safe at work since March and there has never been any support, suggestion or thinking along the lines of nhs staff walking out, it’s just unthinkable. It all makes me feel a bit worthless to be honest.

Mixed feelings.
If a school has had no cases and manages their spaces well then Why close?
If schools are struggling with cases and sick staff then seems sensible.
I think it should be on an individual school basis.
I think school staff need to be priority for vaccines too and should wear what ever ppe is appropriate.

I think school staff need to be a priority for vaccines too. If we want schools open - and I really do - the staff need protection.

No I don’t

I think we need another really hard lockdown and then to vaccinate as hard and fast as possible.

That probably does mean shutting schools; it sucks but hospitals have 25% more covid patients in them now than in wave one in April and we haven't even seen the Christmas impact yet. Staff are ill or self isolating all over the shop. Children's education is incredibly important but we can see the end in sight of this pandemic now and if it has to go on hold to keep things just running on a little longer then that's what's necessary. I wouldn't 100% say we need to shut all schools everywhere but certainly everywhere that's T4 at a minimum.

OP. Your wording does matter. You say NEU has advised teachers not to work. They haven’t. They’ve advised them to work from home until their workplace is safe. Totally different thing.

I apologise for saying that teachers are being advised not to work. I honestly just wanted to know whether school closures would help the nhs. Is that better? Not trying to upset anyone or to pick on teachers (I am one). I should have planned my wording more carefully.

The NHS in London is at the point of collapsing - I am genuinely afraid we will have Italy-style rationing within the next two weeks. This is worse than March from our perspective.

If closing schools helps, I’m all for it. We absolutely need another lockdown here. I can’t speak for the rest of the country.

Reading the support from the NHS workers here makes me feel better about sending in section 44 letter today. Health trumps (f2f) education in times of acute crisis. Thank you to all the NHS staff on here, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your work.

T4 here and live and work in original contingency framework areas.

@Changechangychange

The NHS in London is at the point of collapsing - I am genuinely afraid we will have Italy-style rationing within the next two weeks. This is worse than March from our perspective.

If closing schools helps, I’m all for it. We absolutely need another lockdown here. I can’t speak for the rest of the country.

I'm also NHS in London and 100% agree with this. It feels worse this time.

I also want teachers to be on the vaccine priority list.

Thank you teachers for everything you are doing. Thanks in advance for looking after my children in keyworker school next week.

No I don't. But I do think teachers should be vaccinated over office nhs staff (me being one of them I'd give mine up), part time should be considered before full closure and masks in secondary schools enforced. My dds high school is amazing so far, low cases, key worker provision good. But they should be open I don't support the unions stance

Teachers can't be on the vaccine priority list because that's tantamount to admitting that schools aren't safe.
Interestingly the vaccine trial I'm in we're actively recruiting teachers because of the potential for exposure.

*were

I think school closures are inevitable now.

What makes me boil with rage is this: where the fck are these vaccines then? Why is it taking so long to get them out? Why is there so much red tape? Why do nurses need diversity training before they give someone a jab? People are losing their jobs and vulnerable children are being put at risk- the answer is not lockdown which we now have to bloody do but vaccination. The difference being- lockdown involves us making sacrifices whereas vaccinations mean the government getting it’s stupid act together and doing something. We all know which one is t going to happen don’t we?

Yes, I'm NHS and yes, I support it. Hospitals will soon be overrun. In London and the SE noone has been mixing (legally) for over two weeks, and hospitals are already overrun. The restrictions have been too little too late.

What happens when we put those kids back in contained environments with 30 or 150 other kids doesn't bear thinking about. Education should be provided at home for the majority, and school places held for the most vulnerable children.

Teachers aren't soldiers. They're not even clinicians who accept an amount of health related risk related to their jobs. Soldiers, police officers, doctors and nurses are at least given the equipment to do the job as safely as possible.

My concern is that it will result in so many NHS staff not being able to work due to childcare issues that it will in many ways just exacerbate the crisis.

I don't understand why teachers can't just go in and wear PPE like healthcare workers do in order to reduce the risk to them. I would like teachers / TAs to be prioritised to be vaccinated.