To be worried about my job!

[lockdownmummax]

L hello

I am a student nurse and also a auxillary nurse part time

I was due to work a shift today which I could have been placed in any ward, I explained to the co-ordinates I was pregnant and can't work in a covid ward
First ward I got sent too was a covid ward so asked to be moved
The second ward I was sent to had some covid positive patients in it and then a covid contact in 2 rooms of 6 patients so basically another covid ward with half the patients having covid or having contact
I ended up just leaving and going home , the same happened last week I got out in a covid ward
i shouldn't have just walked out but just thought I'm not risking my health here , worried incase I get fired?
last time I had covid it made me unwell and I ended up taking a bacterial lung infection so I'm worried I would end up more I'll since I'm now pregnant

Have you had medical advice that you shouldn't work on a ward with Covid positive patients?

If so, then you shouldn't have been placed there. If not, then I'm not sure you can demand it. (I wonder how many wards can be guaranteed free of it anyway at the moment.) You can't just say, "I'm pregnant, therefore I need X," to your employer - at least, not in my experience.

Maybe have a conversation with your midwife. She'll either be able to reassure you that you're low risk, if you are, or presumably she can provide you with a letter to take to occupational health saying you mustn't be put on a ward where there's known Covid.

Your manager needs to do a risk assessment.

As previously said it is going to be difficult to find any ward that is and stays totally covid free.

I don't think you can be a student nurse and refuse to be around anyone with Covid.
That's just an unreasonable expectation.

i shouldn't have just walked out but just thought I'm not risking my health here , worried incase I get fired?

and so you should be worried.

I completely understand why you’re nervous about catching covid while pregnant, and I’m not sure about the legality of them sacking you. But I’m wondering if it’s possible to delay your placement?

I had a relative in hospital recently. She were in for almost a month, and spent time on 3 different wards. All 3 of the wards had a covid outbreak/covid positive person at one point during her stay. I’m not sure it would be possible to avoid it completely. Good luck!

@110APiccadilly @nightshade @berksandbeyond @Bertieboo82 @LivingNextDoorToNorma
My placement for as a student nurse isn't until March my baby will be here by then this was at my job as an auxiliary nurse
I have had a risk assesement which says not to work on a covid ward,
i usually select the wards I work on which don't have covid in them there is quite a few in the hospital however I was down as a support shift today hence why I got placed on the covid ward

i have also worked on wards previously which has covid patients maybe 1 or 2 which has been fine as the ward manager has just advised I don't go into those rooms, however my worry today was 1 ward was a covid hub so everyone covid positive and also the 2nd ward momore than half of the patients where covid positive and many covid contacts

Did you discuss this with the ward manager? Were they asking you to look after covid positive patients or have you refused to look after the covid negative patients?

@Flopisfatteningbingforchristmas
Hello, no I never refused to look after covid negative patients
My risk assesement has advised I shouldn't be working in covid wards so the first ward was fully covid every patient had covid
So I went back to the co ordinaries office and explained she said no problem I'll move you to another ward, when I got to the second ward more than half the paitents where covid positive and a lot of them had the precautions signs of a covid contact " this was full rooms of 6 patients all covid contacts"
i have previously worked on wards with covid patients in the side single rooms and the ward manager has advised me not to go into the covid rooms but these 2 wards where either fully covid or majority covid and because the rooms with multiple patients where covid or covid contact I couldn't enter the rooms with multiple patients
This has happened because I was down for a support shift instead of assigned to a ward ( I work in multiple wards where covid don't get admitted there or if they are it's 1 or 2 patients in their own single room )
this is why I was worried today because they where covid wards

@Flopisfatteningbingforchristmas
I did speak to the co or donator who assigned me to those wards and she apologised and said it's hard today to find a non covid ward ( Sunday is double pay so majority of wards have a suitable amount of staff as lots of people sign up for Sundays) so I think the issue was there wasn't any non covid wards to put me in , next time I won't book a support shift and just stick to the wards that are non covid or isolated side rooms

What is the Trust's Covid policy?
Are you in a union?