Is there anyone who works for the NHS

Stressed21 · 2021-09-20T19:44:31+00:00

Who isn't chronically stressed in an understaffed ward/department? If so, how has your department managed it? My own workload is often unmanageable, as is that of the majority of the staff I manage and others I speak to. It was bad before COVID, but obviously worse now. I try to ensure the staff below me are coping and OK, but there's only so much I can do when the fact is, we don't have enough staff. Just interested to hear if anyone doesn't feel this way. Have name changed for obvious reasons

Roomarmoset · 20/09/2021 20:48

Sadly yes, we're ridiculously understaffed. Just had another Covid outbreak on the ward, all agency work suspended for 3 weeks. People are upset, tired, stressed. Our sickness levels are through the roof.

I'm low level and feel helpless. I've done the mental health first aid training recently as I wanted to help I some way.

NavigatingAdolescence · 20/09/2021 20:50

Yep. Non-clinical but dealing with my 3rd bout of burnout in 18 months.

AMistakePlusKeleven · 20/09/2021 20:50

I work in an aseptic suite in the NHS. Probably the safest place to be covid wise. We are not understaffed but still have a high work level. I think we are less stressed because we’re not patient facing.

vdbfamily · 20/09/2021 20:51

I manage a very happy team. There work very hard but do go home on time mostly. I however arrive early and stay late! I have made recruitment my number one priority and subsequently, across about 30 posts we have 3 days of Band 3 vacant. This has made a big difference to stress levels although with Covid we have had our share of absences. It is a supportive team who get on well and that makes a huge difference.

Original poster

Stressed21 · 20/09/2021 20:52

Yes, we've also just had another covid outbreak which isn't helping. It's really crap. Did you find the mental health first aid course useful? I've considered it too, we often have staff crying at work at the moment. And those are just the ones who outwardly show their feelings

OP posts:

GoWalkabout · 20/09/2021 20:54

We do have a very high turnover of staff. So we are not burnt out but that's because we are all quite new here. No one longer than a year!

Original poster

Stressed21 · 20/09/2021 20:56

@vdbfamily that's great . My team generally get on and support each other too. I think if they didn't things by would have totally fallen apart before now. We don't have any vacancies, we just don't have enough hours for the increased workload

OP posts:

Roomarmoset · 20/09/2021 20:59

@Stressed21

Yes, we've also just had another covid outbreak which isn't helping. It's really crap. Did you find the mental health first aid course useful? I've considered it too, we often have staff crying at work at the moment. And those are just the ones who outwardly show their feelings

Not really if I'm honest. It was online due to Covid and we had to read some booklets along with the course. I try and spot the signs of someone seeming unhappy but it seems to be everywhere.

I'm going to set up a weekly session so people can drop in and talk to me if they want to do it confidentially and see if that makes a difference.

We do have a lot of people taking the pee with isolating due to household member symptoms. Some people are on their third or fourth paid isolation!

flower11 · 20/09/2021 21:00

3 of the team I work with are off long term with stress. We are very short staffed at the moment with isolating and also vacancy have not been filled.

ClockworkNightingale · 20/09/2021 21:06

We're drowning. It's so unsafe.

We're losing at least one nurse a week from the department. Minimum. We have some NQNs and new international nurses starting but they can't replace experience.

Drowning.

Xigris · 20/09/2021 21:09

I’m a critical care band 7. It’s horrific we have staff leaving in droves - lots of them excellent, experienced ICU qualified nurses so this is having a massive impact on the department. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to recruit even though we’re a London Trust. We can only recruit at band 5 level with no previous critical care experience meaning we have to start from scratch with them.

We are very very busy. We are running two ICUs where previously we had one with an HDU attached but separate. We now have a covid ICU where we continuously have at least 7 sick, ventilated, proned patients the vast majority of which are unvaccinated.

Our non covid ICU is very busy with the usual stuff - post op major GI surgery, big 2 week wait stuff, alcoholic liver disease etc etc. We’ve been warned by the network to expect a terrible winter as the usual flus and respiratory viruses make a resurgence coupled with another potential covid spike.

We are all absolutely dreading it. This is NOT SUSTAINABLE but it feels like no one is listening.

Sorry, that was a bit of a rant

rockingthelook · 20/09/2021 21:17

Horrendous, love my job, but we have so many vacancies unfilled, plus huge amount of sickess, especially anxiety, shielders who still cannot safely work on the wards etc, Thankfully work with a great team but are constantly the brunt of staff frustrations , due to the amount of work they are having to do, I really think that people have become so less tolerant due to work pressures. I also think the calibre of applicants has decreased hugely, people don't read the job description and personal specification, it's ok employing someone to make up numbers, but if they aren't up to it, there is still a staffing issue

MoreHairyThanScary · 20/09/2021 21:17

We are struggling - staffing is a challenge, standard sickness with the odd Covid. The Biggest problem by far is the increase in workload, in addition patients coming out of hospital without a care package starting for a week and a half, end of life patients with no packages of care available... we can not find carers for love nor money, and it adds to the pressure and the constant fire fighting.

Shehasadiamondinthesky · 20/09/2021 21:20

I've worked in the NHS for 40 years and it's the worst it's ever been in terms of very poor staffing and long hours.
I honestly don't know how I get through the days sometimes.

MakeMeCleanTheHouse · 20/09/2021 21:20

Last week I cried 4 out of 5 days on complete strangers at work. Just feel hopeless. don't know anyone who isn't considering leaving

Mummyme87 · 20/09/2021 21:25

Yep band 7 midwife on a labour ward in london. We are chronically short staffed, everyone’s burnt out, cannot provide the care we want to, it’s not safe. It’s always been short but this is the worst maternity services have been

1FootInTheRave · 20/09/2021 22:03

Just left as I couldn't take anymore.

Maternity services are dangerous imo.

Rupertpenrysmistress · 20/09/2021 22:15

We are all feeling it. We have a great team, no vacancies but everyone is exhausted. We never have the right number of staff working so it is dangerous, as the patient's keep coming. No plan to deal with it just everyday the same. I try hard to support my team but it takes its toll on me to. Staff don't even pick up the premium shifts and that says alot about the staff crisis that is coming.

marmaladehound · 20/09/2021 23:21

Horrendous where I work! I'm a charge nurse in A&E and we are sinking with the unbelievable volume of patients, not a huge amount of Covid on a day to day basis but people just still been unable to access any primary health care as easily as pre Covid so get re directed to us. As well as just the impact of lack of access to secondary care for such a prolonged period, it's all taken it's toll. Beds slow to come up, so many mental health patients, adults as well as in paeds. I could ramble on.

Staff leaving in droves and hard to Recruit experienced replacements so really challenging skill mix. Loads of sickness, constantly working on 5/6 nurses down and often up to 8 Drs down! Never seen staffing like this. Moral rock bottom. Massive burnout.

I've worked 22 years in the NHS this month, 16 of those in A&E and can safely say this is the worst I have seen it. I really feel like we are working on a sinking ship right now.

MakeMeCleanTheHouse · 21/09/2021 07:41

@marmaladehound

Horrendous where I work! I'm a charge nurse in A&E and we are sinking with the unbelievable volume of patients, not a huge amount of Covid on a day to day basis but people just still been unable to access any primary health care as easily as pre Covid so get re directed to us. As well as just the impact of lack of access to secondary care for such a prolonged period, it's all taken it's toll. Beds slow to come up, so many mental health patients, adults as well as in paeds. I could ramble on.

Staff leaving in droves and hard to Recruit experienced replacements so really challenging skill mix. Loads of sickness, constantly working on 5/6 nurses down and often up to 8 Drs down! Never seen staffing like this. Moral rock bottom. Massive burnout.

I've worked 22 years in the NHS this month, 16 of those in A&E and can safely say this is the worst I have seen it. I really feel like we are working on a sinking ship right now.

Summarised well.

I think staff are demoralised by giving a poor service (because lets fail it the NHS is crumbling) and I know everyone I work with really cares about patients. It's that which hurts most. Long hours, busy, no breaks...been there and done it, but unable to give safe and good care....this is a deal breaker for many.

Primary care and social care not meeting the need so everyone is bottlenecked and poured into hospitals which are unable to cope.

MakeMeCleanTheHouse · 21/09/2021 07:49

I've worked in the NHS for 36 years. It is the worse I have ever known it and late 80s was bad.
This is funding for the NHS as a % of GDP. Before the pandemic the NHS was on its knees. This is not just a covid issue

greenweepingwillow · 21/09/2021 08:14

I'm a senior clinician in NHS mental health services. It is beyond horrendous just now. Staff leaving in droves, extremely high levels of staff off sick / burnt out. Massive increase in volume of work, both new referrals and all those whose pre-existing mental health conditions worsened during lockdowns. Lots of very unwell people needing inpatient care, but no inpatient beds in the whole country to admit into. I'm currently doing the job of 2 poeple, was 3 up until this week. Working ricdiciulously long hours to try and keep my team afloat. But it is also taking its toll on me. I've worked in NHS mental health services for 25 years and I have never ever known anything nearly this bad.

BeenAsFarAsMercyAndGrand · 21/09/2021 08:15

I'm back office, and chronically underresourced and stressed. Its killing my health, and I'm looking to leave.

CorrBlimeyGG · 21/09/2021 08:25

It's not what you asked, but I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate what you all do. I can only imagine the stress and hassle you get from every angle.

I'm visiting the hospital every day at the moment, if you spot a lady with a 'fuck the Tories' bag, please say hello 🙂

Xigris · 21/09/2021 09:16

Hahahah @CorrBlimeyGG I also have a fuck the Tories bag. One of our consultants gave it to me . Thank you for your kind words