Does anyone find sobbing nurses etc in The News every night, in any way helpful?

[Miljea]

.... or does this footage rapidly lose its impact?

I sort of feel 'Yes, we know, and if the first months of footage failed to shock and awe, this won't!'. If anything, all it does is to numb people.

Ditto the non-contextualised rolling statistics.

Do you think it's an actual strategy, to bombard us with this? If it is, I fear it's not working.

FTR I'm coalface, Covid facing, full PPE NHS, tho not ICU.

But I have got up and personal with Covid that is killing people. Including in ICU.

But I don't think the News' blanket slightly blurry footage of HCPs all kitted up going about their business, interspersed with interviews with sobbing nurses- really helps. I have even heard the 'for God's sake, it's their job' remarks (at the hairdressers, when they were briefly open, TV on).

That person was argued with by her mate, but I do wonder whether too much of this sort of coverage makes people weary of it.

It reminds me this shit is real and that could be me on the TV when I start to feel slightly complacent and super pissed off with it all. I do find it upsetting and both me and DH do get a bit teary.

I don't watch it.

I agree that it’s lost any real impact for me. News is only news if it’s - well - ‘new’. In a pandemic that’s been ongoing for nearly a year now it is impossible to present the daily misery and suffering as ‘news’ in the sense of it being new. Obviously that’s not to discount anyone’s suffering though

I avoid the news altogether, it feels like some kind of Newspeak propaganda broadcast these days.

So very true.
So much scaremongering every day from all this negative news.
What about people who have had it and got through it??
Deaths from pneumonia lung problems and general flu are deemed as covid deaths.
Really we are being completely brainwashed.
Turn the news off .
We will all feel so much better without all these depressing reports 🙄

I have found some of the BBC news traumatic this week , yes it may reinforce the point that covid must be taken seriously but it makes you more anxious and depressed! As for the graphs and figures I don’t know what’s true and what’s not now as so many conflicting figures from other sources.The government told us we should have 1st vaccine and then 2 nd vaccine 2 weeks later to be effective and then changed their minds . Israel has now proved its not effective if second dose given later . Who and what do we believe , who can we trust ? I just don’t know anymore!!😱

It really is..
You have more chance of being run over by a bus than dying of covid ...

I honestly think that none of the people in this thread who have said it is annoying and vile have absolutely no fucking CLUE just how bad it is on the wards at the moment.

That said, I think there are other ways to get that message out there.

I don’t find these very helpful. I just keep wondering how the journalists are getting up close and personal with patients with a very contagious disease. Even though they’re in full PPE they’re not medics and I’m not sure it’s responsible for them to be there.

I’m also desensitised as I’m angry with the Government and feel they are the ones failing to step up and do more not the public. They are still not properly supporting people to self-isolate or coming down on employers forcing staff into offices when they could wfh or even punishing workplaces that are not Covid safe. Yet the police are very efficient at handing out fines to and making an example of people who maybe unaware they are breaking ever changing rules. A nurse on Question Time said it is inside the workplace where Covid really spreads especially when people don’t isolate (not because they don’t want but because they can’t afford to) not when 2 people sit down on a bench outside in a socially distanced fashion.

It’s also not helpful medics trying to scare younger generations with examples of under 50s suffering in ICU and even dying. Why? Because the Government will fully unlock society when all the nine priority groups are vaccinated leaving the virus to circulate and soar amongst the young for another few months. If you’re under 50 and “fit” you’re going to get this virus come whatever and you just have to hope you don’t end up with long Covid, in ICU or worse.

I’m afraid I turn it off. The coverage is just too much. I believe it’s a terrible disease, and that it’s putting a lot of pressure on the staff, but what about all the people who recover and go home. The statistic quoted over the past few days that there is a person admitted with Covid every 30 seconds, forgot to mention that there is a discharge every 40 seconds.
I feel as if the government is using this footage to scare the population and stop people questioning the performance of the nhs. Too many people are suffering because all of our hospitals have been allowed to be overrun by Covid. Most other countries have kept their normal services going by creating separate units for non Covid services. Not the nurses fault of course but it’s all linked.

I ignore the news for the most part tbh. I check it on my phone once maybe twice a day. I was finding all the coverage although truthful etc was damaging to my mental health. I suffer with anxiety and the endless stream of negativity wasn't helping. I know what is happening, I stick by the rules and have done the entire time. I'm sure some people find these stories in some way helpful but I imagine they are many people like me that found they were being negatively affected by this kind of constant news stories.

Last week the BBC ran a whole series of reports from one London hospital - same interviews and comments repeated night after night - it's not exactly news is it - it's social conditioning. Other channels every night a different journalist visiting a different hospital, all saying that they are at breaking point but seem to have loads of time to talk to journos.

I take COVID seriously but I do feel that we are often given half a story - we see ICU and are then told half the patients in hospital have COVID. The impression is that they are all that ill when chances are a good number of them caught it there.

I have a huge amount of time and respect for NHS staff - its the stupid journos who are finding life easier if they just churn out the same story night after night and don't ask the right questions/interrogate the statistics etc that hack me off.

It works for me. I've stuck to the rules throughout, not even bent them and haven't seen any family for a year. When I see this footage I feel so sorry for those on the front line and angry that there are non believers and people who don't care and people who think it won't happen to them.

@Owl55 the Israelis have not said that!

i think the anti vaxxers and anti mask wearers should visit these wards, short sharp shock

I've come to this having just watched tonight's news. I tend to suffer from depression at this point in any year and am really struggling at the moment. I'm staying at home except for essential food shopping, am not socialising, or rule-breaking. What else can I do? I understand how bad it is, I know that staff are struggling. But hitting us over the head with it every day is NOT helpful for the many struggling with their own battles.

Araminta I'm similar at this time of year. I keep saying I am not watching anymore. Have dodged most of tonight's.

The Beeb seems to be particularly relishing the distress of medical staff. Tonight for instance, crying nurses and on Sky News it was about the floods. Not saying it shouldn't be reported, just it's unhelpful to dwell on it.

On SouthToday, it's now Bournemouth Hospital's turn.

Mortuary shot.

Such a thought-provoking thread. I don't think it's unhelpful as I think if the coverage stops one person changing their behaviours and no longer taking risks which might directly cause someone to die from Covid then it's worth it. I understand what's going on but not everyone does get it, whether through ignorance or not watching the news, the reason doesn't matter. Like someone else said, even for those who get it, a reminder isn't a bad thing. We can become complacent no matter how we think we're being careful. They need to find a way of reporting on it to still serve a reminder of how bad things are but in a less insensitive way. But not in our faces as you've said, every single newsreel every single day.

@Physer

I was hoping it might be a wake up call to those who still think it's all a myth.

I was hoping the same. Sadly these nonbelievers still think Covid-19 is a myth and will likely think the news reports are just acting for TV.

I feel so bad for everyone working close so to Covid having seen so much loss. Bad mental health and exhausting. And just awful for the families of anyone affected by Covid too

On SouthToday, it's now Bournemouth Hospital's turn.
Mortuary shot

On a brighter note, they're having a nice tour around the country aren't they ... I thought folk weren't supposed to do that unless it was essential?

@Gobbolinothewitchscat

We never watch these reports. DH is a frontline NHS worker working with Covid+ patients. He thinks it is unethical to record the footage as patients can't give truly informed consent. Also for cross infection, only necessary staff should be in a clinical area - not news crews. There is zero acceptable evidence that shows that reports like these change or modify behaviour so on what basis are patients being asked to consent - evidence based medicine, anyone?

He would never cry at work in front of a patient or on TV or go onto social media ever in PPE etc. A large majority of those doing that have books/merchandise such as masks to sell etc - go figure

This is exactly my point. When families aren't allowed to be with loved ones at end of life why are film crews and journalists allowed anywhere near a ward or ICU units? DH and I also discussed the question of patient consent - the chambers that DH works at do a lot of medical cases. We both agreed it is a very grey area.

Youve got nurses that are not trained icu nurses being put on icu wards because they are over run with patients and don't have enough staff. People are being redeployed to wards to help from other areas of the NHS. If I had to go on a ward and help its not just my job as that isn't what I signed up for. Just like swabbing people in community settings which isn't my job but I very nearly had to do. To work in the NHS generally doesn't mean putting your own health at risk to help fight to keep others alive. I don't watch the news I don't need to. I here how bad the hospitals are from work. No exaggerated numbers just facts.

But I don't think filming patients is the best thing to do especially people on icu because they often can't give consent or not in a fit state to give consent.