Help on channel 4

[User135644]

This is on Channel 4 tonight at 9 (and steaming on All 4 now). Set in a care home last year with Jodie Comer and Stephen Graham.

Just watched it, it's an excellent drama. Jodie is incredible.

Wow. This was brilliant. So moving. I feel enraged after watching this.

It's so strange how this was only a year ago - maybe a bit more - but I'd forgotten so much of how it all went.

It's so important that this is remembered and documented like this. I also hope Hancock and Boris watch it. They won't of course.

A scene that stuck in my mind a bit was when the care worker was yelling at her brother for going out (I think this was March pre-lockdown) because for the best part of 18 months you had that kind of 'stay home' mentality and still do to some extent. It shows how hard it's been for everyone.

I really enjoyed it, that was what it was like for some of the care homes, mine included. I do think that they portrayed it well, except the lack of buzzers going off!
I worked a similar shift to that young lady and although I was with another person, she'd been on a 14 hour the day before and it was something like my 11th night in a row, and we have more residents, so I really recognised the pressure - I'm also a seasoned care assistant with qualifications and almost 20 years experience, it was definitely easier for me having the training and experience I did than someone who didn't - And I found it almost broke me. In fact I think it did, but I just couldn't acknowledge it at the time. The way that she had to keep 111 on the phone in her pocket to see to the residents because she needed to do both.
A couple of points that I picked up on that I thought were really well done were the undertakers wearing full PPE kit when the staff were wearing bin bags, and the care assistant getting really angry, I really identified with that, I felt the same. It happened.
Also where the manager basically threatens to cut her hours because she calls him out on a chemical cosh. That happens a lot, and it's why care workers are reluctant to whistleblow, despite the supposed protection, ultimately the care workers are usually punished for any type of whistleblowing. Sticking to our duty of care shouldn't cost us our jobs or income, but sadly it does.
The end didn't ruin it for me, again, I recognised her desperation to protect someone that she cared for. I recognised the bond between them and the feelings that were portrayed of feeling like there was literally no one else that cared about these people or us, and that if we didn't do something then no one was going to. I know families did, but probably felt as helpless as we did to protect their loved ones, they physically weren't allowed in, they weren't seeing it from the inside, especially not at first.

That's probably the biggest thing that I've taken away from those early days of the pandemic, that feeling, and the associated guilt, and it's very hard to shake.
Whoever wrote this really did their research.

Brilliant until the last 20 mins, which felt melodramatic and didn't ring true.

I think a better ending would have been to show her sitting at home, her face marked with exhaustion and from wearing a face mask all day, to the sounds of cheering outside for the NHS. I think that would have been a more stark reminder of just how little thought was given to care homes.

Whoever wrote this really did their research.

Yeah, they visited different care homes.

I loved it too and found the focus on COVID educational. It was a shame that it went away from that towards the end. Still great though.

This was so good, but heartbreaking. Jodie and Stephen are amazing anyway but were fantastic in this.

I don't know why but i thought I'd heard / read something about drastic consequences and I thought Tony was going to kill Sarah. It was horrendous but because I knew it was about the pandemic and people died I thought something else was going to happen.

Was Sarah all alone with all those patients? Strange how no one else shouted for help. That would have made the situation more stressful and realistic.

I hoped she would let Tony sit with Kenny and hold his hand. I know why she had to keep them apart though.

Such a shame that she would then lose her job.

I have to admit I heard about the NHS workers and supermarket staff but nothing about the care homes.

I think they do a marvellous job anyway but especially through this.

They definitely need a pay rise.

Were there really times when a care home only had one member of staff in??

Depends on the size of the home, not all care homes are large. On nights we have 2-3 carers and days 5-6.

Did no one ever come to help Kenny??

People don't realise how incredibly hard and dedicated care workers were working in the pandemic, in my relatives care home so many staff had, had covid 3 staff members moved in for 2 solid weeks and completely locked it down, missing out on their on families, to look after other people's
having to sleep in the sofas
as much as NHS got a lot of overdue credit they weren't doing that, and care workers git none really.

@purpleme12

Did no one ever come to help Kenny??

I don't think so. He died once Sarah got home.

Whilst everyone clapped for the NHS I think we overlooked a lot of key workers. I don’t think many people understood how many we need to keep the UK going.
My DS is an engineer in food production. If machinery breaks down and can’t be fixed🤷‍♀️. So everyone in the food industry and logistics. Another, overlooked group will be IT workers.The list is infinity and beyond.

@VolcanicEruption

Whilst everyone clapped for the NHS I think we overlooked a lot of key workers. I don’t think many people understood how many we need to keep the UK going. My DS is an engineer in food production. If machinery breaks down and can’t be fixed🤷‍♀️. So everyone in the food industry and logistics. Another, overlooked group will be IT workers.The list is infinity and beyond.

Yet but they weren't under as much stress as these carers. They didn't have to sit and watch people die because no one came to help. They were constantly in contact with people with COVID and didn't have the protective kit they needed to keep them safe.

@VolcanicEruption

Whilst everyone clapped for the NHS I think we overlooked a lot of key workers. I don’t think many people understood how many we need to keep the UK going. My DS is an engineer in food production. If machinery breaks down and can’t be fixed🤷‍♀️. So everyone in the food industry and logistics. Another, overlooked group will be IT workers.The list is infinity and beyond.

It was actually called Clap for Carers initially, then it evolved into NHS, then Key workers in general. So it actually started focussed solely on Carers.

That said, NHS AND Carers both had it really bloody hard in similar and different ways. I hate that they tried to pit Acute hospitals and community/care homes against one another in a war of "who had it harder". Both were fucking horrific.

And of course it was hard for other Key Workers too. Sure they didn't have to watch people die, but being spat at, screamed at and physically attacked over Toilet paper is pretty horrendous when you just want to do your job!

@purpleme12

Were there really times when a care home only had one member of staff in??

I wouldn't be surprised. We had care homes and hospital wards shutting down because there were ZERO staff to look after them.

it was excellent, i read a warning that the last half an hour wasnt so good, but if you can imagine that they had had a great relationship and she wanted to save him,
she was young and did such a sterling job on her own, so well acted by Jodie Comer

@purpleme12

Were there really times when a care home only had one member of staff in??

My mums the manager of a care home and shes lost so many staff that she basically has 2 full time and 3 part time staff and between them they are trying to cover 24:7. Agency staff arent turning up for shifts which leaves the staff working on their own. I honestly dont think people have a clue how bad things are in care right now!