Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[peteblue]

…

What kind of practices do you have in your place Pete? It's a bugbear of the wife's when she sees staff in restaurants, cafes, pubs etc. being pretty slack with things like hand hygiene. She argues that washing hands between each customer would be good practice, but hardly anywhere we've been seems to do that, with many not even requiring staff to wear masks.

Hand sanitiser on all door entrances, staff hand sanitiser behind the bar. Staff take regular tests but do not wear masks. They had both masks and shields previously. It’s different for our sort of place compared to a town or city premises because the customers are all regulars and everyone knows everyone else.…

 

[woomy]

In fairness yes, but the pay for frontline needs to go up a lot and the pay for public sector bosses needs to be reduced.

There are some good reasons to work in public services, as well as the cons. The pension terms tend to be better than you get private sector. Holiday entitlement tends to be better etc. But we won't fill frontline positions until the pay is better. Public services in this country need reformed because they are top heavy and we need more frontline and less management. But I don't see the political will to do it.

This.
I think a lot needs to change before people start to think about coming in to frontline nursing.
It's all well and good saying have a recruitment drive. But it takes 3 years, and that is depending on when you apply. You may have a few more months to wait, to get into uni.
Then you tell these kids, yeah, for half the time you have to work and not get paid. Then also say the same thing to a parent with a mortgage who is thinking of retraining for a new career.
I think the whole degree thing for a nurse is ridiculous. You learn nothing and I mean nothing in uni, that even compares to being on a ward. The whole notion of writing countless essays and referencing every 100 words or so, has didly squat to do with anything.

Then agenda for change, needs a massive overhaul. The pay is fine, after a few years. But starting out, it is not appealing. Here is £25k. But make a mistake, and you might kill somebody, or seriously harm them. In my service, it is here is £25k. Take control of this person's mental health, nurse them, parent them, challenge themz oh and try not to get a punch/kick/spat at, and if you do, well brush it off and crack on.

When you break it down, it's not an appealing prospect. You have to really want to go through all of that. Then when you qualify, wait another few years, before you even think of making a decent salary.

 

[TN Toffee]

Makes more sense knowing test kits are free. You can get tested for free here in the USA but you have to go to the pharmacy. But test kits to bring home are about $30 a pop. (At least where I live)

Testing in the UK is remarkably easy/cheap compared with the US. I’m not even a citizen here, but I just filled out a quick online form and the Royal Mail had a 7-pack of at home tests on my doorstep the following day with no charge and no questions asked.

 

[random]

It’s different for our sort of place compared to a town or city premises because the customers are all regulars and everyone knows everyone else.…

Don't think the virus cares about that mate.

 

[grandjoeblue]

There won’t be, as they need to recall Parliament to pass it.

That requires 48 hrs notice, as they’re on the Christmas break.

Last two times they've announced it before the vote though didn't they?

Surely they'd need to announce that they're going to vote on it anyway which would probably mean it's going to happen.

 

[COYBL25]

Last two times they've announced it before the vote though didn't they?

Surely they'd need to announce that they're going to vote on it anyway which would probably mean it's going to happen.

They need to recall parliament when they’re on their hols.

Thems the rules.

 

[navidson]

There won’t be, as they need to recall Parliament to pass it.

That requires 48 hrs notice, as they’re on the Christmas break.

Of course they are - Might as well be on Annual Leave when nothing's happening

 

[BlueToff]

But this is the point. If ‘normal’ is 90-95% capacity, it really doesn’t take much to overwhelm the NHS and that’s when it all gets a bit dangerous for people.

The issue is that we don’t have enough capacity in the first place. And nothing has been done about it.

Absolutely, I see that, and yes capacity should have been increased. Though again, it seems staff availability, not beds, is the actual issue here.

And training 1000s of doctors and nurses doesn't happen in the space of a year, unfortunately. They've rushed tons of medical students through as it is and we should all be very grateful to those people.

So right now they need to have a way of reducing staff isolation periods first and foremost, in a society that is pretty much as much as it is ever going to be with the vaccination rates (because I'm sorry, but the majority of people who haven't got their vaccine now will never get it). So looking at ways of reducing the ludicrously overboard isolation period when it comes to (fully vaccinated) key workers has to be something that is done.

 

[BlueToff]

Of course they are - Might as well be on Annual Leave when nothing's happening

if you've tried getting in touch with a council in the last 18 months you'd think most of them were on break...

 

[navidson]

if you've tried getting in touch with a council in the last 18 months you'd think most of them were on break...

You cheeky bugger - I'm in work right now! lol

 

[BlueToff]

You cheeky bugger - I'm in work right now! lol

Wakefield Council

 

[navidson]

Wakefield Council

Well my council must be better than yours

 

[grandjoeblue]

Absolutely, I see that, and yes capacity should have been increased. Though again, it seems staff availability, not beds, is the actual issue here.

And training 1000s of doctors and nurses doesn't happen in the space of a year, unfortunately. They've rushed tons of medical students through as it is and we should all be very grateful to those people.

So right now they need to have a way of reducing staff isolation periods first and foremost, in a society that is pretty much as much as it is ever going to be with the vaccination rates (because I'm sorry, but the majority of people who haven't got their vaccine now will never get it). So looking at ways of reducing the ludicrously overboard isolation period when it comes to (fully vaccinated) key workers has to be something that is done.

They haven't started training any additional doctors or nurses? The 'rushed' through students just got asked to work whilst doing the final year of their degree?

They've done nothing to make things better in the long run.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

This.
I think a lot needs to change before people start to think about coming in to frontline nursing.
It's all well and good saying have a recruitment drive. But it takes 3 years, and that is depending on when you apply. You may have a few more months to wait, to get into uni.
Then you tell these kids, yeah, for half the time you have to work and not get paid. Then also say the same thing to a parent with a mortgage who is thinking of retraining for a new career.
I think the whole degree thing for a nurse is ridiculous. You learn nothing and I mean nothing in uni, that even compares to being on a ward. The whole notion of writing countless essays and referencing every 100 words or so, has didly squat to do with anything.

Then agenda for change, needs a massive overhaul. The pay is fine, after a few years. But starting out, it is not appealing. Here is £25k. But make a mistake, and you might kill somebody, or seriously harm them. In my service, it is here is £25k. Take control of this person's mental health, nurse them, parent them, challenge themz oh and try not to get a punch/kick/spat at, and if you do, well brush it off and crack on.

When you break it down, it's not an appealing prospect. You have to really want to go through all of that. Then when you qualify, wait another few years, before you even think of making a decent salary.

I can only speak for my missus, but she found her degree very useful because it encouraged her to think about her work. Healthcare is a constantly changing practice so you can't dial it in and do the same thing every day, which is what many of her colleagues do, and expect to deliver good quality care to patients. Looking from the outside it has always struck me that pay is issued according to seniority rather than actual ability. She's got some right clangers in her team but because they're in their 50s they earn a decent wedge. Obviously because it's the NHS as well, you do pretty much have to kill someone to be sacked.

 

[BlueToff]

Well my council must be better than yours

Haha yeah, wouldn't be hard!

Obviously it was a joke though mate! I know everyone has had it tough. It can be frustrating some times mind but you know, we get on with it

My sister and her fiance were stopped from getting a mortgage because Leeds council hadn't taken off a parking fine that wasn't even his but had been allocated to his space, like. They'd only had 12 months