what job do you do?

[mmm]

I'd be really interested to know what careers mumsnetters have. I know it's very nosy but I've seen all sorts on these pages. So...I was a teacher of English as a foreign language and the voice of a mouse for a video game and a singing butterfly and I have done voices for companies which want an answerphone message ("just a moment please hold the line" etc ) Anyone else?

I can understand the stress of being verbally abused by patients, have seen it far too frequently in the NHS !!! But what about when it's fellow members of staff !!!
Have just had a most horrendous week at work, our post grad students are comming up to their final exams, and are behaving like, right, little, premadonnas.
When I complained to my manager, all I got was, "Oh, but their so stressed at the moment".
I tell you, I was not very far from telling him, where he could stick his pathetically payed job !!!

She made a valid point Scatterbrain - Mumsnet's function has not changed. It works both ways, you didn't need to read that and you certainly didn't need to comment. Let it lie!!!!

Sounds like everyone needs to get out of the NHS. Obviously that is completely impractical but for anybody working within the system it sounds horrendous. I would be interested in hearing from people working in the NHS that are happy. You've at least made me sure about one thing in my life. I aint' going to work in the NHS.

In one incarnation, I worked as a manager in the NHS - I actually joined through a special pilot scheme that was encouraging so-called "high fliers" in from industry, but then supplying them with loads of support and additional training in "best practice" in the NHS.

The thing that got us (ie the group that joined) was the lack of trust between management and those that actually do the work - and how that lack of trust worked applied BOTH ways. Our own experience of best practice in industry was that you got the best results when you worked TOGETHER - you didn't impose decisions without proper discission, you talked to the people who actually knew what was going on before deciding the way forward - and you didn't assume that the "management" always had it in for you. What was sad was the way that in the NHS, everyone seemed to be carrying (on both sides) seemd to carrying so much baggage of distrust - and the depth of feeling suggested that were sound reasons for that distruct, in past betrayals.

My dad (a consultant) was worried about me joining the NHS, as he's seen too many potentially good managers get ground down by the system. I chose to join, as I didn't see how I could ever comment on the way things were run (having been brought uop to believe strongly in the principles of the NHS) if I passed up this great opportunity to join and have a chance to influence it.

Unfortunately, I joined just at the time that the purchaser/provider split was taking place and the training scheme then struggled to achieve its objective of planned career progression and succession planning.

After 2 years, I then moved back to Scotland and lost the support anyway. Spent a deeply unhappy year as a manager in community health services, before "escaping" back to marketing.

Thanks Janz. Very good summary of a lot of businesses I think and not just the NHS. Did anyone see the show the other night about managing a business. The father and son were running the textile factory and the management consultant was giving them advice. I loved it from an HR perspective. What I found interesting was that the management consultant was advising on communication as one of the major issues yet was communicating poorly himself. A factor which contributes to the majority of disillusionment and disenfranchisement (if that's a word) in a lot of businesses. Don't know if I should start another thread about this as I would be interested to hear other peoples views.

Teach in a sixth form college (presently 3 days a week) plus doing an MSc in Maths (for my sins!) - a lot of teachers eh?

Mum2Toby - I think you'll find I have as much right as you to read and post on any thread I wish - and my personal view is that this site has become very much bitchier and nastier in recent months. Your response to me was a fabulous example- so thanks for illustrating so well for me. I am entitled to my view - it is as valid as your view - and I know for a fact I am not alone in that view.

Please do not belittle me or my comments. In real life I would speak up if I felt someone's comments were out of order, and I will continue to do so on here.

...which is just what M2T was doing wasn't it?

gizmo

just logged on today - working very hard being an excellent patent agent you see!
I run a small practice I set up about a year ago before that I was in mad corporate private practice where it was all about billing out huge amounts. Didn't go back after ds, as old emplopyer (RR plc - aerospace, not posh cars!)kindly offered me any freelance work I needed.

That set me on my way and there are now 2 of us I work in-house/freelance a bit for one v large client (once a month or so)and have a steady amount of large and v small clients to fill the rest of our time.

Sorry everyone - try not to ingnore NHS thread but just want to repsond to gizmo..

Patents can be v expensive - London private practice prices are horrendous - someone with my experience would charge £300/hr - The partners in my last practice were taking home b/w 300k - 750k/yr- I expect you lost your in-house agent to private practice. We (we're both female!) love the way we work now, much more sensible, totally flexible - if you would like to look at our web site I can give you my email details through tech (never done this but think it can be done!)

OK OK I'll shut up now

Yes Scatterbrain - couldn't agree more!!! And that's EXACTLY what I'm doing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You've just proved MY point! Thanks

Meanmum - I agree with you about communication - and the lack of it causing so many problems. It's something I feel passionately about.

In fact, that was how dh and I first got REALLY talking - on a flight back from Miami where we'd both been at Junior Chamber World Conference - basically just agreeing with each other about "good" management practices.... the importance of good communication.... getting people to "buy in" to the vision (sorry for the jargon!) - but also getting them to contribute to it in the first place!..... treating others as you would want to be treated yourself.... just common sense basically (but as someone once told me "if common sense were so common, why is there so little of it around?!" ). I think we bored the rest of the plane rigid!

Maybe we should start a new thread on this!

Oooh NHS managers- current and ex- I have some questions for you.

I seem to have spent the last few weeks moanaing about lack of services for my son (he's autistic). He desperately needs SALT (after a 2 year wait we have access to one- but really he needs proper therapy- he won't get it) and OT (we've been waiting a year- we've been told it will be at least another 2).

Now my ideas on solving this crisis - are 1) train more OT's and SALTs 2) retain them (which means working conditions have to improve as well as pay- both private salts we saw left because they couldn't treat children as they only saw them every 3 months) and 3) prioritise so that children with the most complex needs get the help and therapy before those with problems which are easy to fix (eg treat verbal dyspraxia rather than a child who talks like Jonathon Ross).

Now obviusly these changes take ages- just wondered whether you have any ideas of anything that could be done now. A local pressure group has started down here- and I want some ideas!

Short term - contact your local Health Authority and see what information they have on their current strategy (general strategy as well as specifically related to SALT and OT). Look at what they say about social inclusion and providing services to those with disabilities.

See if there is anything in their statements that you can either use to support your need for additional services - or can challenge on the basis of your research/experience.

Do the same with the hospital/community health service that should (in theory!) be providing you with a service.

There is a fine balancing line between the general - raising the profile of verbal dysparaxia and the specific - ensuring that your ds gets the help that he needs. On the one hand, you have a practical case that demonstrates the need for additional help. On the other hand, if you make too much noise of the wrong type, people will stop "listening".

I suppose the best way to describe it is to try to get a reputation as a CONSTRUCTIVE trouble maker - coming up with potential solutions, being prepared to listen to proposals, demonstrating why not treating this now will result in additional costs later (remember money IS an issue - they have budgets to balance!) - rather than as a destructive trouble maker who is only ever compalining about the lack of services for her beloved son.

Does that help at all?

Hi NorthernLass (sorry folks, I know it's off topic but we'll carry on elsewhere soon, promise) yes we lost our guy to private practise - there were particular circs why he wanted to go back although, like you, he was not enamoured of the large corporate set ups.

But anyway, where are you based? We're in East Anglia and building a relationship with a small practise local to here, but a bit of competition would always do them good.

Do you have a particular specialist field? We do a lot of work in physics and electronics and are very selective about what we patent. Anyway, tech can pass on my email details if you want to talk further.

I hear what you're saying JanZ- and this is the point of the pressure group- it's for all parents of SEN kids- the idea being a single Mum moaning is a mother from hell, a group moaning is a lobby!

The problem is he hasn't been diagnosed officially with verbal dyspraxia (one paed mentioned it in passing- I faxed him and asked him to ensure it goes into his report- I've thought he has verbal dyspraxia for getting on for 2 years now). He has been diagnosed with autism (which he does have as well) and according to the HA autistic children don't talk anyway so aren't worth treating. Grrrrr We are getting some private assessments done over the next month or so, but one will be via video with someone in the states (so that will be ignored), and ime they don't really pay any attention to private assessments anyway. Which is a pity as you can't get these assessments done on the NHS.

My thoughts were to try and get something in writing, and then go to head of SALT together with all the research that says that verbal dyspraxia won't get better by itself and requires SALT 3 times a week for 2 years (at which point I'm sure they'll fall about on the floor laughing) and ask what they are going to do about it? I know the answer though- nothing as he's autistic and therefore "impossible to treat" (I've been told this already- don't see why as he can sit at a table following adult directed instructions for an hour at a time).

I've given up trying to get OT, and am not even going to bother trying. I know children who need it more than ds1 anyway (they have degenerative conditions and are in wheelchiars- and they're not getting it) so I think my energy could be better spent doing the OT myself (following our private assessment in June) rather than banging my head against a brick wall.

So that's all very specific- how on earth can we begin to improve this situation for all? What should we actually be lobbying for? In the short term complex cases going to the front of the queue? Multidisciplinary assessments? How can we lobby for something which ins't available?

Thanks for the advice. I'm already seen as a trouble maker by the LEA btw.

Jimjams - My ds doesn't have any issues but I would still like to join your lobby group if I can. I don't know what help I can be but at least I'm another voice to add to the group. I'm happy to do whatever I can but will obviously need direction. If I can't be of help then that is fine.

Jimjams - it's now a long time since I worked in the Health Service, so I am really rusty about best routes to follow.

Is there anyone at the Health Authority who has shown ANY sympathy to your situation? If so, why not invite them out to coffee to ask THEIR advice as to the best way forward. Not asking them to DO anything for you - just some pointers as to who you should be contacting/what you should be doing.

I don't know much about autism, but did read a book called "For the love of Anne" over 20 years ago, which was how Anne's parents managed to encourage, bully, teach and love Anne out of her "other" world of autism enough that she could at least start to function in the "normal" world.

Where is the research evidence that "it is impossible to treat" autism? It may be impossible to CURE it, but there are lots of things that can't be cured and people still get palliative therapies to make "it" easier to live with.

Provide them with the evidence of what he HAS achieved with supervision/instruction. Present him as a challenge which, with the right support, could actually "make" one of the SALT's reputations! If they think he is impossible to treat, think of the brownie points they would get if they could present his as a success story through their efforts (swallow your pride on that one!)

Turn it around and massage their egos!

Thanks meanmum- I don't know much about it yet tbh- it's been set up by a mum of a child with cerbral palsy- and apparently they have secured some lottery money. They are very local so there probably isn't much you can do.

However I am also part of a national campaign for autism- next week last years "call for action" is being presented to parliament- which is a bit of an achievement. We will be running another campaign soon- and I will certainly ask for help then! It'll probably just the along the lines of raising awareness.

JanZ there is no research evidence that SALT doesn't help people with autism. Nationwide it just seems to be something that is said now! I challenge it every time I hear it- I think they mean SALT NHS style ie 3 or 4 times a year doesn't help with autism but of course it wouldn't would it?

TBH ds1 isn't particularly other worldy. He wants to communicate and is very sociable- he just bloody can't! But with the autism diagnosis it is easy to turn can't into won't! This is what makes me so angry really- with SALT to help him physically speak I think he would be classed as mildy autistic- or with a language disorder and dyspraxia- but he's not being given the help so he's being forced to remain unable to communicate. However I am realistic and he is going to need so much SALT that I don't think he is going to get it.

So I think all I can do really is what I am already doing which is do as much as I can myself. And to be honest at the end of the day it is less stressful to pay someone to teach me to do it myself (maybe not as well as a trained SALT granted) than to bang my head against a brick wall for the next year. I don't think I have the energy to fight for the therapy he needs as he needs so much. I'd rather fight for something obtainable -such as full time one to one help at school) than something impossible.

However as a lobby group we do need to think of suggestions for the HA to allow our complex children to get the help they need.

Still no idea how though I know we could all move to America

JanZ- bet you're pleased you left the NHS!

Actually meanmum there is something you could do Didn't take me long did it?

Next Wednesday (14th- ds1's birthday!) the national "call for action" (for autism) is being presented to the House of Commons as an Early Day Motion (whatever that is). Please could you contact your MP (email of faxyourmp website is usually easiest way) and ask them to sign in support.

Many thanks!

I'll try to find a link to the latest on the call for action. But I'll have to do that once boys are in bed!

Yes I'll do that. Let me know the link and I'll ask for their support this weekend. I'll bug Red Ken as well.

Me, I'm a Farmer, wellies, cows, sheep, lambs, calves, husband, children, 3 collies, 1 Miniature Sheltie, pissing rain, thunder lightning, no electricity, NO FAGS (been stopped a year). I like farming, although I do come from farming stock I am trained in Secretarial and Management.

Do you know it is a right pain the arse when I go for a pair of shoes, as my feet are used to wearing wellies and I cannot find a pair that actually feel ok, not unless they are Clarks! I've got arms like a weight lifter, my DS told the whole school that his mummy was well cool as she could lift the same size of feeding bags that daddy lifted!! (45 kilos), and could calve a coo and lamb a ewe!!

That is quite cool Tigger. I spent some time farming in NZ- and I struggled with the bales. Docking lambs tails was interesting!

Meanmum- thanks- I'm just waiting for confirmation of some details (apparently early day motions have numbers- and I need that)