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?

@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.

What kind of rationing out of interest? Sorry if that is a stupid question!

It all makes me feel a bit worthless to be honest.

Yep, that's the same feeling teachers/school staff have. Great isn't it that this gov has managed to pitch us all against each other when it's nearly all their fault.

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.

Why? NHS staff are key workers and their children will be able to attend school.

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.
Because the dfe specifically said no masks in classrooms and many heads are enforcing this. Going against that potentially leads to disciplinary action.
And some partners are also vehemently anti mask.

Parents, not partners

Im an NHS covid ward nurse.Yes I support it. Unfortunately schools and universities were not safe to return when they did in September. Mixing on a huge scale and we are now seeing the fallout.

We need a full March style lockdown or possibly go further with road blocks to check travel is essential. To clarify in March we were given letters stating our NHS was was essential I assumed I would need it going on two motorways to work. Things have never been tightly enforced.

I live in a small rural town, I have seen so many visitors from the nearest city a good 45 drive away. Pictures on Facebook of people ',exercising' outdoors with friends all cuddled up for a photo. Its frustrating after seeing the carnage at work.

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.

Isn't that more likely to be the case with unplanned closure? The schools are proposing to cater for the children of key workers. There will be more chance if keeping them in school if the other children are learning at home.

I am happy to support our schools in closing, however not if the quality of teaching is as previously offered. We need scools to be using teams, zoom, using platforms to send and receive work, to provide feedback on work and not simply send a white rose maths sheet alongside the answers and expect working parents to deliver a quality education.

I don't really care what NHS workers think in this case because it doesn't effect them. If NHS workers honestly believed that schools should shut including to their own children I would listen but whilst they continue to believe they should be exempt from the closures it's hard to care what they think. The concept of key and non-key workers may have worked in the short term in March but the reality is at this stage that the country cannot afford for anyone whose job is able to safely open and for whom there is sufficient work to not go to work.

I think the vaccine criteria should be looked at again big time

Yes. I am quite scared of whats happening in my hospital right now.

Just because it hasnt been particularly safe for many NHS workers doesnt mean teachers should have an unsafe working environment. Its not tit for tat. I dont see how a teacher can teach in a bloody ffp3 mask

What kind of rationing out of interest?
Sorry if that is a stupid question!

I imagine they mean rationing access to treatment: putting people on non optimal treatment because they don't have enough CPAP machines, or reducing the oxygen volumes below optimum levels. That's assuming you don't get to not putting people into ICU because it's full, and because the operating theatres are full too. Or that you don't let people in the door and just send them home for palliative care.

Bsfore that you have cancer operations cancelled and other operations that need completing in a four week timeframe. In some parts of the country this is already expected: www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/02/cancer-operations-face-cancellation-across-london-as-covid-patients-fill-hospitals?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Those are not scenarios anyone wants to happen, and I'm not in any way saying they will happen. But I don't think people can say they won't happen at this point either.

DH is frontline nhs. He says they need schools to close ASAP to help control the rise in cases.
He says unfortunately a full lockdown is the only way to save the nhs from collapse now.

If NHS workers honestly believed that schools should shut including to their own children I would listen but whilst they continue to believe they should be exempt from the closures it's hard to care what they think

This makes no sense whatsoever. If schools stop accepting key worker children and close to everyone then those working on covid wards would be halved because those nhs workers will be unable to work at all.

You didn’t think that through very well did you? 🙄

@Landlubber2019
This is what's expected now www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools#res

Heck even if they were calling for childcare to be available for all on a day by day basis if a genuine need could be proven (which would include both parents (or a single parent) needing to work regardless of occupation but exclude just about everyone with a stay at home or furloughed partner and limit part time workers to the days they are working (including above contracted hours where appropriate)) I would support them.

@AaronPurr that's not correct. In many schools both parents had to be keyworkers to get childcare last time (it was this way at my child's school last time) so many NHS staff were still unable to work as they were the only keyworker. You have to understand that many healthcare staff aren't well paid (especially healthcare assistants etc), so if they were in the situation that they were the lower earner in the household then they had to be the one to cover childcare so their higher paid partner could still keep working.

My sister who is nhs and not frontline says they should prioritise school staff for vaccine alongside current role out.

Why would it matter what NHS workers think? They're not in schools so don't know the situation fully. I mean, do you want the opinion of anyone working in the NHS? Janitors, healthcare assistants, delivery drivers... or are you trying to get a quote from a doctor?
If you're really a teacher, what do you think you will gain from playing the NHS off against the education sector? This whole thread feels like shit stirring maybe because parents aren't outraged enough for the Daily Fail this time.

I'm torn. One the one hand, my dds are in a lucky position in that their school / nursery are new builds, so easy to bubble even in the playground, plus proper separate classes with proper ventilation and separate toilets and sinks for each bubble. I would have no issue with the teachers or nursery staff wearing masks, or the elder dd wearing a mask as needed at school. I am also lucky that dd is pretty ahead in her class and loves school, so I had no issues getting her to do at least maths and English the first time round. The school was also excellent at sending work home most days, covering maths, English and other topics.

Youngest dd had a week off nursery after child tested positive, but no staff and no other children showed any symptoms, again bubbles were strict, rooms well ventilated and they have garden space which can be separated so no bubble mixes.

Also, I am concerned that in the push to "help the nhs" schools shutting would put on more pressure. A lot of schools in the area I live had a 2 key worker parents or single parent who was a key worker for any key worker provision. That was easier in March as lots of their partners were furloughed, so staff could keep coming to work. I'm not sure that will happen this time around, and a lot of staff I work with are the lower earners and therefore would potentially be asking for unpaid / parental leave to cover this time round. It was something that people asked about before furlough came in. This could leave staffing even worse than it is already.

On the other hand, I know there are lots of schools that are old, don't have suitable ventilation, toilets, hand washing facilities etc, and so I can see that teachers wouldn't feel safe in those places and understand why.

Ultimately, I would support the teachers and the head in whatever decision was made but I'm also aware that there are some children in my dds class who didn't even pick up a book in the first lockdown, never mind do any school work and I am worried that some of those children will never catch up and will be affected long term.

I should probably pull splinters out my bum, I'm so on the fence. I do think the DFE have had enough time to sort it out, as have the unions - why not insist teachers wore PPE for all classes way back in September.

I'm NHS and really want schools to stay open. Ideally over Xmas (actually beforehand but....) it should have been organised for teachers to have had, or be in line for vaccination ASAP and whatever PPE they need provided for them. My DS will be gutted if they close again. He was in a keyworker bubble in school last time but missed his friends and missed learning.

Yes.

effectively NHS and yes

@Russellbrandshair
I'm not saying that there should be no childcare available for those who genuinely needed it, but this shouldn't be based on occupation and should be limited to days where all adults in the child's main household are working (or the day immediately before/after a nightshift) , but the situation where all NHS staff are entitled to full time childcare regardless of the numbers of hours they actually work and the status of any partner, whilst others have to work full time with no support is simply illogical for anything beyond a couple of weeks.