NHS Mask Shamed/Discrimination, escalating action (thread 2)

[Maskwoes]

First thread: Mask shamed (disability), complain? (Some TMI) http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/amiibeingunreasonable/3978398-mask-shamed-disability-complain-some-tmi

It's been almost a year since I made my original post, and the after effects are deeply ingrained in my soul. I've had my piece published in Laura Dodsworth's book "A State of Fear" too.

I complained through PALS and my concerns were escalated to a senior nurse at the MIU, where my concerns were met with pure disdain, an attitude of "fuck you, wear a mask, protect everyone, I don't give two shits about the impact on your mental health". She also wrote that any questioning regarding lack of masks would be gentler and more private - things I know have not been implemented.

I've taken legal advice to determine my legal position and I'm told I have a strong case as the MIU stance contravened governmental coronavirus regulations and the impact to my mental health is shocking. Also that my mental health conditions, including PTSD and GAD from the sexual assault, and how they affect me are enshrined as a protected characteristic (Equality Act) and their actions were in contravention of this and direct disability discrimination.

I'm about to escalate up the chain to CCG, then CQC, then sue. Why sue? Why do I feel the consuming rage to take money from the cash strapped NHS? Because it's the only language they will understand - the only thing that will force accountability and responsibility on them. I can then directly pay privately for counselling.

@Kittyswhiskers

What do you hope to achieve by suing?

£££££

Regarding suing the NHS: Why does no one ever put the blame in the right place? The NHS should be aiming not to fuck up in the first place, and acknowledging fuck ups by investigating and apologising where appropriate. The fact they often refuse to put things right, and then end up in court, is not the fault of the claimant. Raise your standards for our health service, people!

You really need to ask MNHQ to take this thread down. It may prejudice any claim you pursue and is not advisable.

The nurses and staff were acting on what they’ve been told by higher management, trust me, those on the shop floor aren’t the ones who make the decisions. Remember they were the ones working all through the pandemic probably in a state of terror though!

'Why sue? Why do I feel the consuming rage to take money from the cash strapped NHS? Because it's the only language they will understand'

It is not the only language they understand. They have a comprehensive complaints procedure and all complaints are taken very seriously. You felt the 'attitude' of the hcp was 'fuck you', but with respect I highly doubt it was.

Your rage is a manifestation of your anxiety, your cpn or counsellor (I presuming you have one in view of your mh problems) should be able to assist you to find strategies to cope better. Best of luck.

Could the fact that genuinely mask exempt people are being treated in this unacceptable way may lie with the many many many people who breeze around saying "exempt don't dare ask me why

This is the new "its the fault of the scroungers that you cant get PIP" re imagined for the Covid era.

In order to sue successfully you would have to prove that the "harms" they had done to you had impacted you financially - so for example, loss of earnings. And this is after you have managed to establish that harm was done in the first place, which may be difficult to demonstrate

Also do bear in mind that the preparation of any legal proceedings will require you to got through the whole unpleasant experience again... and again.... and again....which is what you have found so excruciating about the original incident. It will be like picking at a scab repeatedly and never letting it heal. It will not help your mental state - you may think it will, but it won't

£££££

Yep.

Most patients aren't fully conscious until the ET tube is out. They cough it out but are still anaesthetised enough not to remember. And most won't need an o2 mask after extubation either.

You can bet your lucky stars that if you were unstable or desaturating you would have had the mask on. No one is going to simply watch their patient die on 3L nasal specs because they don't want to wear an o2 mask.

@Maskwoes

This is really about two things:

1. Mask wearing. I was exempt, governmental coronavirus regulations state I was exempt, I was wearing a sunflower lanyard.

1. The disclosures. I have the utmost respect for HCP's, and I cannot possibly imagine the hell they have been through.

However, I stated I couldn't wear a mask due to PTSD/GAD when booking in. I was then forced to disclose the intimate details in a very public area. A nurse was called, repeat in the same public area. Taken to a room with an ANP and a doctor and forced to disclosed again. There was zero empathy, zero understanding.

So what they did was make you explain 3 times? I doubt they asked for a blow by blow account of what happened to you I am sure it wasn’t pleasant but you were hardly locked up and forced to do anything you didn’t want to. I’m coming round to the idea that you are after money now, which won’t actually come from the people who treated you badly anyway but a huge organisation with insurance for this

WHY didn’t you phone ahead?

You say I have official diagnoses of PTSD, CPTSD, GAD, major depression, anxiety.
You knew masks were mandatory and you knew you were not going to wear one.

You could have saved yourself a load of hassle. My DH did just this. Explained the issue with masks over the phone and they noted it on his appointment record.
No debate, just a quick on entering the hospital. ‘I’ve spoken to reception’ - ‘Thank you, no problem’.

I doubt they asked for a blow by blow account of what happened to you

Yes, they did. I offered the PTSD/GAD dx and that wasn't enough for them, they wanted specifics.

I think the comments regarding suing dragging myself through the entire event multiple times over X years not being the best idea for my mental health are probably right.

I am definitely going to escalate up the NHS complaints ladder however, I don't think an apology and a commitment to ensure this doesn't happen again is too much to ask for.

I think an apology is well deserved OP.

Op. I hope you get your apology. I find it absolutely disgusting that an HCP said to you “fuck you, wear a mask, protect everyone, I don't give two shits about the impact on your mental health”

@Longestfewdaysupcoming

Op. I hope you get your apology. I find it absolutely disgusting that an HCP said to you “fuck you, wear a mask, protect everyone, I don't give two shits about the impact on your mental health”

Was this said by an HCP in the public environment and not immediately addressed by any of their colleagues near by?!

@MichelleScarn I’m astounded by that too. Surely the chaperone person should have reported it?

I highly doubt a HCP ever said that. More like the OP has rewritten these interactions because the initial report wasn't scandalous enough to elicit the desired sympathy.

@Longestfewdaysupcoming

Op. I hope you get your apology. I find it absolutely disgusting that an HCP said to you “fuck you, wear a mask, protect everyone, I don't give two shits about the impact on your mental health”

@Longestfewdaysupcoming @MichelleScarn

No one said this to her, it was the attitude of the person that gave her the FU impression

@Honestmary well that's a rather dramatic, massive extrapolation from whoever wrote that then!!

Or extrapolation on the part of the op since no one actually said that then?

“You went to a hospital at the peak where HCP were dying. You didn’t wear a mask so you put them at risk. That’s the bottom line here. Your right to not wear a mask trumped their right to safety, you won, they lost. Move the fuck on.”

This a 1,000 times.

You consider your right to protect your mental health as more important than a healthcare workers right to protect their physical health. Even if you put them at risk of dying and now you want to sue them after they treated you. You are the extremely self centred.

I'm sorry about some of the replies you received and for the experience that you had.

I can only imagine what it was like in hospitals a year ago. That doesn't excuse their behaviour but it explains it somewhat.

You shouldn't have had to explain why you were exempt- I can't remember if the lanyards were being sold back then?

I think that it is unacceptable for you to sue over this. Let the NHS focus on catching up with the missed operations and medical treatment.

Will "winning" make you feel any better when you know that they were in the wrong ? Can you really put a number on the humiliation you felt ?

@DxHxSx - what do you mean by 'disordered personality' and why do you think OP has one?