Things that piss you off that shouldn't

[Xela]

57 minutes ago, Mandy Lifeboats said:

I have man-flu.  I am amazed that I am still able to type when I am this close to the River Stix. 

A girl at work told me she had "a cure for colds."

Green tea, ginger, hibiscus, cinnamon, lemon, echinacea and lime. 

How stupid of medical science to still be searching for the cure when it's already here. 

Alexander Fleming wasted his life! 

[Xela]

I feel bad writing this now after reading the last few posts, as it seems trivial, but work is pissing me off. It generally feels like it is the beginning of the end now. The department has been through tough times before but always got through it with laughs and banter. Thats gone now. Everyone is broken. Performance wise, we're doing brilliantly, but at a cost of the wellbeing of the staff. We are just numbers, a small cog in a big machine. 

 

Edited September 21, 2022 by Xela

[Davkaus]

25 minutes ago, Xela said:

I feel bad writing this now after reading the last few posts, as it seems trivial, but work is pissing me off. It generally feels like it is the beginning of the end now. The department has been through tough times before but always got through it with laughs and banter. Thats gone now. Everyone is broken. Performance wise, we're doing brilliantly, but at a cost of the wellbeing of the staff. We are just numbers, a small cog in a big machine. 

 

I've been through that grind, and I'm at the point of accepting I'll probably never see a place as fun, relaxed, but high performing as the team I used to work on, without taking on risk that I can't justify these days. My favourite job was years ago with a boring, stuffy healthcare tech company but we were a little "moonshot" team in our own office that just got left alone by management because we kept pumping out cool stuff, it was ace. Some might argue we'd have delivered more profit if we'd spent less time in the pub or turning over desks for nerf wars, but you can't put a price on a collaborative culture  

I do enviously look at a few friends from those days now working at startups and loving every second of it, but the tedium leads to a safe job that will still exist in a year or two. Always a tricky decision.

Edited September 21, 2022 by Davkaus

[Rds1983]

2 hours ago, Xela said:

I feel bad writing this now after reading the last few posts, as it seems trivial, but work is pissing me off. It generally feels like it is the beginning of the end now. The department has been through tough times before but always got through it with laughs and banter. Thats gone now. Everyone is broken. Performance wise, we're doing brilliantly, but at a cost of the wellbeing of the staff. We are just numbers, a small cog in a big machine. 

 

Exactly where I am with work right now except possibly slightly further along as most of the experienced staff have left for better roles meaning that those still behind are stretched thin and desperately trying to upskill new colleagues. 

My line manager (was a peer but was recently promoted when the previous left) told everyone to stop moaning and be positive as they've been through busier periods before. Went down like a lead balloon and I've been forced to deal with the newer colleagues complaints. 

Giving serious consideration to making a change but not sure I want to give up job security right now. 

[il_serpente]

6 hours ago, Davkaus said:

One to add to Rob and KV's experiences,  I've spent most of the last 96 hours in hospital, sleeping next to my daughter, feeling scared to even go for a piss because the ward is so understaffed. At one point the ward manager, after I'd given her a bollocking (which in hindsight was a bit unfair on her and I've apologised and said I was angry at the situation all of us were in, not her), encouraged me to go home and get some sleep. I outright told her I wanted to go, but I couldn't because the ward was unsafely staffed and I didn't trust them to keep her alive overnight. The only response I got was awkward silence. It's like it throughout the entire hospital; the midwives I know are now told they're not allowed to leave the ward or have a nap on their breaks on night shifts because it leaves a single member of staff working and it's too dangerous.

At one point I went out for 5 minutes to nip to the toilet and grab a drink. I heard her start to cry, but there were nurses around, so I just made myself keep going because it'd been a long day with no respite and I was going mental. Came back a few minutes later, she's ripped out her cannula, is screaming so loud I can hear her through 3 sets of doors, blood everywhere, alarms going off, not a nurse in sight, and it took 25 minutes for someone to finally come and help.

Last night, 9 patients, all kids, all post-surgery. 2 nurses on duty, no HCAs. My daughter is on meds that mean that two nurses are needed to prepare it, so they both just have to leave the ward for about 15 minutes to prepare it together, leaving the patients (reminder, all children) completely unattended, most had their parents there, but not all. More than enough time for someone to die without a member of staff even being there to hear the alarms, these aren't particularly well patients, my daughter had been out of intensive care for a few hours. They should ideally have had on 3 nurses and a couple of HCAs.

We're at the point of expecting she'll be in there for months and knowing that we don't have the option of one of us being there 24/7 because she isn't safe without us there, so the only time we'll see each other this side of Christmas is in the hospital

I don't blame the individual staff, they're doing what they can, but the NHS is on its knees. There's hundreds of vacancies in the maternity and children's hospital alone they can't fill because people are waking up to the realities of taking on student debt for not particularly well paying jobs with awful hours and atrocious conditions. 

 

That's awful @Davkaus.   So sorry you're having to go through that.   I don't know if I'd be able to manage if it were me.   And kudos to you for seeing the bigger picture and not blaming the staff, who I'm sure are horrified at the knowledge that they're not able to provide the kind of care they know they should be.   Many smaller men than you would lash out at the convenient targets that are close at hand.  Hang in there, mate.

[il_serpente]

5 hours ago, JoshVilla said:

For some reason, Facebook has decided that I want to see posts by the North of England Mule Sheep association. I have no idea why, but my feed is frequently spammed with pictures of sheep.

They probably got wind of you getting expelled from New Zealand for "moral reasons" all those years ago and are trying to ease your loneliness.

[TheAuthority]

10 hours ago, Davkaus said:

One to add to Rob and KV's experiences,  I've spent most of the last 96 hours in hospital, sleeping next to my daughter, feeling scared to even go for a piss because the ward is so understaffed. At one point the ward manager, after I'd given her a bollocking (which in hindsight was a bit unfair on her and I've apologised and said I was angry at the situation all of us were in, not her), encouraged me to go home and get some sleep. I outright told her I wanted to go, but I couldn't because the ward was unsafely staffed and I didn't trust them to keep her alive overnight. The only response I got was awkward silence. It's like it throughout the entire hospital; the midwives I know are now told they're not allowed to leave the ward or have a nap on their breaks on night shifts because it leaves a single member of staff working and it's too dangerous.

At one point I went out for 5 minutes to nip to the toilet and grab a drink. I heard her start to cry, but there were nurses around, so I just made myself keep going because it'd been a long day with no respite and I was going mental. Came back a few minutes later, she's ripped out her cannula, is screaming so loud I can hear her through 3 sets of doors, blood everywhere, alarms going off, not a nurse in sight, and it took 25 minutes for someone to finally come and help.

Last night, 9 patients, all kids, all post-surgery. 2 nurses on duty, no HCAs. My daughter is on meds that mean that two nurses are needed to prepare it, so they both just have to leave the ward for about 15 minutes to prepare it together, leaving the patients (reminder, all children) completely unattended, most had their parents there, but not all. More than enough time for someone to die without a member of staff even being there to hear the alarms, these aren't particularly well patients, my daughter had been out of intensive care for a few hours. They should ideally have had on 3 nurses and a couple of HCAs.

We're at the point of expecting she'll be in there for months and knowing that we don't have the option of one of us being there 24/7 because she isn't safe without us there, so the only time we'll see each other this side of Christmas is in the hospital

I don't blame the individual staff, they're doing what they can, but the NHS is on its knees. There's hundreds of vacancies in the maternity and children's hospital alone they can't fill because people are waking up to the realities of taking on student debt for not particularly well paying jobs with awful hours and atrocious conditions. 

 

This is heartbreaking to read Darryl. Sounds stupid but if there's anything I can do please don't hesitate to PM or ask.

I am more than willing to hate on stupid Royalists with you in any thread you won't. - Damn the mods! 

[Hobsons Choice]

14 hours ago, Davkaus said:

One to add to Rob and KV's experiences,  I've spent most of the last 96 hours in hospital, sleeping next to my daughter, feeling scared to even go for a piss because the ward is so understaffed. At one point the ward manager, after I'd given her a bollocking (which in hindsight was a bit unfair on her and I've apologised and said I was angry at the situation all of us were in, not her), encouraged me to go home and get some sleep. I outright told her I wanted to go, but I couldn't because the ward was unsafely staffed and I didn't trust them to keep her alive overnight. The only response I got was awkward silence. It's like it throughout the entire hospital; the midwives I know are now told they're not allowed to leave the ward or have a nap on their breaks on night shifts because it leaves a single member of staff working and it's too dangerous.

At one point I went out for 5 minutes to nip to the toilet and grab a drink. I heard her start to cry, but there were nurses around, so I just made myself keep going because it'd been a long day with no respite and I was going mental. Came back a few minutes later, she's ripped out her cannula, is screaming so loud I can hear her through 3 sets of doors, blood everywhere, alarms going off, not a nurse in sight, and it took 25 minutes for someone to finally come and help.

Last night, 9 patients, all kids, all post-surgery. 2 nurses on duty, no HCAs. My daughter is on meds that mean that two nurses are needed to prepare it, so they both just have to leave the ward for about 15 minutes to prepare it together, leaving the patients (reminder, all children) completely unattended, most had their parents there, but not all. More than enough time for someone to die without a member of staff even being there to hear the alarms, these aren't particularly well patients, my daughter had been out of intensive care for a few hours. They should ideally have had on 3 nurses and a couple of HCAs.

We're at the point of expecting she'll be in there for months and knowing that we don't have the option of one of us being there 24/7 because she isn't safe without us there, so the only time we'll see each other this side of Christmas is in the hospital

I don't blame the individual staff, they're doing what they can, but the NHS is on its knees. There's hundreds of vacancies in the maternity and children's hospital alone they can't fill because people are waking up to the realities of taking on student debt for not particularly well paying jobs with awful hours and atrocious conditions. 

 

So sorry to hear that. Awful stuff. Hope She is better soon.

[Rodders]

trivial complaint in the circs really, but chasing up a rental company for an invoice for works done to a vehicle ( accidental damage, caused by me, no other cars involved ) and they are being useless. I took out insurance elsewhere to reduce the excess down to £200, and quite reasonably they want proof of the costs involved in fixing the van. Between the insurers and myself I've sent 5 emails in the past month without any acknowledgement at all. And I know the email works as they've sent documents to me via it before. They had already sent over a fairly flimsy two line invoice, with "work done" and "loss of use" costs done which very conveniently totalled up to the excess they had taken from my credit card. ( £1750!! )

As I wouldn't be in this situation if I hadn't buggered the van up, it's been easier to be patient, but the absolute lack of any reply is **** infuriating. I can't afford to let that £1550 go.  So, Entreprise can go **** themselves if I'm ever using them again. All I want is an email informing me they have acknowledged the request. If it's going to take time to produce the invoice, fine, but just let me know. Such a simple thing. I fear I'll have to end up going into town to scream at some poor unfortunate bastard completely disconnected from the process just to get something done. 

[Davkaus]

Thanks for the support guys, always good to come on here for a good rant to let off the steam before I go postal

Today's hospital update, the nurse looking after us passed out at the side of the cot, hit her head, and my partner had to stablilise her and check her obs while waiting for someone to come to the emergency buzzer. We probably shouldn't have found it as funny as we did.

[TDR V2]

26 minutes ago, Davkaus said:

Thanks for the support guys, always good to come on here for a good rant to let off the steam before I go postal

Today's hospital update, the nurse looking after us passed out at the side of the cot, hit her head, and my partner had to stablilise her and check her obs while waiting for someone to come to the emergency buzzer. We probably shouldn't have found it as funny as we did.

Christ what a read your posts have been. The NHS are in a right mess, all that clapping during Covid covered what a total and utter shit show it has become and its not just the hospitals, its everything to do with the NHS. 

Sending my best wishes to you and your family

[Davkaus]

I should probably clarify, as I reread my post and realised I come across like a psychopath that she's fine, and the reason we found it funny was just the absolute disbelief. Obviously it wasn't until we knew she was alright but it was just "...As if this week isn't bad enough, now we're looking after the staff"  

[BOF]

3 minutes ago, Davkaus said:

I should probably clarify, as I reread my post and realised I come across like a psychopath that she's fine, and the reason we found it funny was just the absolute disbelief. Obviously it wasn't until we knew she was alright but it was just "...As if this week isn't bad enough, now we're looking after the staff"  

No I absolutely got it, and often laughter at the absurd is much closer than you think, obviously as you say after the worst has passed. Your story is a horrible, very real on the ground example of what happens when you decimate an industry, and yours will be nowhere near the only one.  Without making it political - which is tough because this is a direct consequence of politics - getting rid of those 'pesky furreners' has done this to the UK's nursing and care industry. I really hope your situation improves very quickly. The pressure and stress on you guys is hard to sustain. Best of luck

[Ingram85]

This isn’t our NHS. It’s the Tories NHS. It will also get worse and will be awful for a few more years yet. We are on our knees as an organisation. 

[mottaloo]

All the best to you and ur daughter @Davkaus, that sounds so traumatic 

[TDR V2]

6 hours ago, Davkaus said:

I should probably clarify, as I reread my post and realised I come across like a psychopath that she's fine, and the reason we found it funny was just the absolute disbelief. Obviously it wasn't until we knew she was alright but it was just "...As if this week isn't bad enough, now we're looking after the staff"  

Sounds like regular Villlatalk to me

[It's Your Round]

I’ve been in my job for eight years this week. I’ve really enjoyed it and have developed lots of new skills and gained some useful qualifications. I had a 121 yesterday where I was planning to ask for a promotion, or at least some agreement that I can work towards that. After all I’ve been performing well and at a higher level than my job description. 

Instead, the new HR Director rocked up and told me my role has been made redundant by our global group board. I’ve got until the end of next month and they’ve been pretty generous with the pay off, but I’m still pissed off to be going into winter without the job security. 

Hopefully things work out for the better and I get my promotion/progression elsewhere instead. 
 

 

Edited September 23, 2022 by It's Your Round
Spelling clearly wasn’t one of the ‘knew’ skills

[Genie]

7 minutes ago, It's Your Round said:

I’ve been in my job for eight years this week. I’ve really enjoyed it and have developed lots of knew skills and gained some useful qualifications. I had a 121 yesterday where I was planning to ask for a promotion, or at least some agreement that I can work towards that. After all I’ve been performing well and at a higher level than my job description. 

Instead, the new HR Director rocked up and told me my role has been made redundant by our global group board. I’ve got until the end of next month and they’ve been pretty generous with the pay off, but I’m still pissed off to be going into winter without the job security. 

Hopefully things work out for the better and I get my promotion/progression elsewhere instead. 
 

 

Sorry to hear that mate. Hopefully you find something even better. 

[sidcow]

10 minutes ago, It's Your Round said:

I’ve been in my job for eight years this week. I’ve really enjoyed it and have developed lots of knew skills and gained some useful qualifications. I had a 121 yesterday where I was planning to ask for a promotion, or at least some agreement that I can work towards that. After all I’ve been performing well and at a higher level than my job description. 

Instead, the new HR Director rocked up and told me my role has been made redundant by our global group board. I’ve got until the end of next month and they’ve been pretty generous with the pay off, but I’m still pissed off to be going into winter without the job security. 

Hopefully things work out for the better and I get my promotion/progression elsewhere instead. 
 

 

Sorry for your news. From what I hear there are still plenty of jobs around and as are highly qualified this may work out well for you. Maybe get that promotion elsewhere

[It's Your Round]

Just now, Genie said:

Sorry to hear that mate. Hopefully you find something even better. 

Cheers mate. That’s the plan, if I can find a better or similar role ready for November then I won’t have lost out financially and will be able to bank the redundancy cash for nice holidays next year (or the energy bills ). 
 

I’m more pissed off that I’ll have to actually go on LinkedIn and update my profile