NHS workers

[Hellothere19999]

Hi, I hope this is allowed. I want to put together a written piece about the current situations in hospitals and across the NHS. I love the NHS and can honestly say it has saved my life and many of my family, however I do feel the government haven’t given the public a true picture of how bad things are (from speaking to friends). If you want to, please post your views/feelings/experiences and I will try and put something together. Thank you.

I think you need to get permission from Mumsnet if you are a journalist?

I’m not a journalist just a writer. @sashagabadon

🥱

There have been plenty of threads by us NHS workers on here if you search. Good luck with your writing

@Uganytono nice one

I'm in an NHS acute mental health ward. Inpatient mental health services have been completely forgotten in this crisis, and the wards are busier than they've ever been due to the mental health impact of covid and the lack of community support many patients are getting, not to mention the number of staff off sick / self-isolating / covering childcare. Many of our patients are high risk and also lack capacity to understand the covid dangers they put themselves and others in. I've had a patient who I've needed to test for covid spit in my face. I've also been bitten. I need a hepatitis booster because of this but apparently occupational health are too busy at the moment to give me one. Last week we had a psychotic lady who was covid positive who had no understanding of the fact that she had covid. We have been trying our best to isolate her from the rest of the ward but she's hallucinating and keeps wandering into the main ward areas. Our PPE is shit - gloves, surgical mask and plastic apron (which often arrive already ripped, and if not, usually rip within a few minutes).

Back last Spring the public / relatives were mostly pretty supportive, but now it's just constant huffy calls about it being ridiculous that they can't visit etc. We've had not a penny in extra pay. Most services are utterly desperate for staff and yet they still won't offer their regular staff overtime pay only bank pay (which gets taxed as a second job so in reality earns less than a normal shift does). The most 'thanks' our Trust has given us is a crappy generic impersonalised, unsigned thank you card which they sent out to all of their staff. I feel completely demoralised.

@KitKat1985

I'm in an NHS acute mental health ward. Inpatient mental health services have been completely forgotten in this crisis, and the wards are busier than they've ever been due to the mental health impact of covid and the lack of community support many patients are getting, not to mention the number of staff off sick / self-isolating / covering childcare. Many of our patients are high risk and also lack capacity to understand the covid dangers they put themselves and others in. I've had a patient who I've needed to test for covid spit in my face. I've also been bitten. I need a hepatitis booster because of this but apparently occupational health are too busy at the moment to give me one. Last week we had a psychotic lady who was covid positive who had no understanding of the fact that she had covid. We have been trying our best to isolate her from the rest of the ward but she's hallucinating and keeps wandering into the main ward areas. Our PPE is shit - gloves, surgical mask and plastic apron (which often arrive already ripped, and if not, usually rip within a few minutes).

Back last Spring the public / relatives were mostly pretty supportive, but now it's just constant huffy calls about it being ridiculous that they can't visit etc. We've had not a penny in extra pay. Most services are utterly desperate for staff and yet they still won't offer their regular staff overtime pay only bank pay (which gets taxed as a second job so in reality earns less than a normal shift does). The most 'thanks' our Trust has given us is a crappy generic impersonalised, unsigned thank you card which they sent out to all of their staff. I feel completely demoralised.

I’m sending you so many hugs - my son was sectioned about a year ago and I visited his psych ward daily - you people are heroes - our MH services are woefully inadequate and need so much more input - I cannot imagine how difficult the current situation must be.

I salute you all xx

Thank you @KitKat1985 I will read properly later and get back to you. Didn’t want to read and ignore! Really appreciate hearing your experience, I have spoken to some mental health nurses discussing the impact on staff and possibility of PTSD. The situation sounds dire. Also heard of radiographers etc being put on ICU due to staff shortages. The public are really not being told about this.