Ok.
So the staff who's job is to arrange training exercises every single day for other staff for generic things, that won't be going ahead for the foreseeable are hero's? The coders who literally put numbers into the computer all day for a financial reason are heroes? Call centre workers who literally just transfer calls to other departments are heroes? What about the clerk's whos job is to sit on reception on clinics that aren't going ahead right now due to them moving to telephone appointments, are they hero's? Sat in an office with nothing much to do?
The term hero seems to be getting watered down it seems.
Btw I now work in the NHS in an admin role, moved over a couple years back for the job security. Am I a hero then? I and my department /staff have zero contribution to the actual treatment of patients, certainly have no connection to what is going on now. Should I class myself a hero simply for being an NHS staff member?
Because I don't. I don't personally devalue the term when there are people right now saving lives every single hour with everything going on.
I disagree mate. I didn't participate in the applause the other evening, but that was purely down to vanity. There are only 4 properties in my immediate vicinity and none of the others came out at the appointed time, so I felt a bit stupid standing there clapping on my own. But I think an acknowledgment of ALL of our heath service staff, yourself included, is totally appropriate. In fact I believe it should be extended to all the people who have to carry on working whilst many of us are sitting at home in our risk free environment. That includes all the people who work in food production and delivery, transport, even in the civil service trying to cope with all the new benefits applications etc.
This invisible illness can be a killer. Maybe not for individuals themselves but certainly for other loved ones in their household or care. They are literally playing Russian roulette every time they leave home to go to work, often on packed public transport. Social distancing is practically impossible in the workplace, as you will no doubt understand if you work in a busy hospital.
Regarding the NHS staff in particular, my sister and niece also work in clerical roles, both at the Royal in Liverpool. Not only do they have the public transport and social distancing issues I mentioned earlier, but they have to work in a building they know to be infested with the virus. They may not be allowed in the cordoned off sector, but authorised medical staff are in and out of there all the time and, as we know, this virus is very resilient. Plus patients family, themselves likely infected, are in and out of there like a dog at a fair. During this crisis the clerical staff are also very busy in their own areas of expertise and having to cope with staff shortages due to sickness/self isolation. Now my sister tells me that they are all being drafted in to man the ordinary wards once the expected pandemic rush starts next week, releasing medical staff for where they are needed more.
Yeah. I wouldn't begrudge them a round of applause.
