Message from a nurse.

Post by **postiewhite** » 31 Mar 2020, 18:54

From a Nurse:

Sorry if I lose of any of you, but I need to get this off my chest. Your gloves and masks you’re wearing to the grocery store? Not going to help you. In fact, likely to do more harm. Here’s why:
1. As soon as you touch anything with your gloves they’re contaminated. Seriously. Grocery cart? That’s on your gloves. Touch your gloves to a can of soup? Transfer of germs. Wear those gloves into the car? Now on your steering wheel. I wear them at work for one task and remove. Then wash. Put on a new pair. I go through dozens in a shift. Just wash wash wash. Over and over.
2. That mask, it’s not helping you. It’s no more effective than staying 6feet away from someone. If you stay home, you don’t need it. You know who needs it? Me. I can’t start IVs, do cpr, suction airways and give meds from 6feet away. I NEED THE MASK. You should also know that after wearing a paper mask for roughly half an hour, the moisture from your breathing makes it penetrable. It’s no longer effective for you anyway. But it works for me to provide care to a single patient and remove it. If 5 of you didn’t use masks, I’d be protected for care of 5 patients.
3. Just stay home. I swear to you if I could I would. Open your windows. Clean out the fridge. Watch some Netflix. It’s a staycation. Just do it. So many people praising healthcare workers for going in and doing our jobs. It’s nice, but the best thank you we can get is to commit to stopping the spread. You might say when this is all over, it wasn’t as bad as we said it would be. That’s because what we advised worked. And if you want to complain about it being overkill, go for it. I’ll happily keep my mouth shut while you shame us for inconveniencing you.
4. Be kind. Please and thank you.

With love, Nurse Nancy

mjd24 · Post by **mjd24** » 31 Mar 2020, 18:58

Yes, the gloves thing really annoys me actually, so many guys in work with gloves on and seemingly think they act as some sort of force field against Covid 19. Anyone with any sense knows this is not the case, and we need to ram this home to everyone.

Post by **POSTMAN** » 31 Mar 2020, 19:04

Todays update 31 March...

Hand sanitiser has been ordered and supplies will be sent to units as soon as possible. Stock availability does change as the demand is high and all organisations are accessing the same limited supply including the NHS.

Acca Dacca · Post by **Acca Dacca** » 31 Mar 2020, 19:12

mjd24 wrote:Yes, the gloves thing really annoys me actually, so many guys in work with gloves on and seemingly think they act as some sort of force field against Covid 19. Anyone with any sense knows this is not the case, and we need to ram this home to everyone.

Im finding its the customers who are more comforted seeing us wearing them tbh

Was getting loads of 'wheres your gloves?' comments last week

Only thing the gloves are useful for us is it helps stop scratching and touching our faces compulsively

norris9 · Post by **norris9** » 31 Mar 2020, 19:39

yes, so give any gloves and masks to the NHS. We don't need them, they do.

sindba · Post by **sindba** » 31 Mar 2020, 19:51

norris9 wrote:yes, so give any gloves and masks to the NHS. We don't need them, they do.

Spot on.

They're doing more harm than good with us.

nuisance · Post by **nuisance** » 31 Mar 2020, 20:04

postiewhite wrote:From a Nurse:

Sorry if I lose of any of you, but I need to get this off my chest. Your gloves and masks you’re wearing to the grocery store? Not going to help you. In fact, likely to do more harm. Here’s why:
1. As soon as you touch anything with your gloves they’re contaminated. Seriously. Grocery cart? That’s on your gloves. Touch your gloves to a can of soup? Transfer of germs. Wear those gloves into the car? Now on your steering wheel. I wear them at work for one task and remove. Then wash. Put on a new pair. I go through dozens in a shift. Just wash wash wash. Over and over.
2. That mask, it’s not helping you. It’s no more effective than staying 6feet away from someone. If you stay home, you don’t need it. You know who needs it? Me. I can’t start IVs, do cpr, suction airways and give meds from 6feet away. I NEED THE MASK. You should also know that after wearing a paper mask for roughly half an hour, the moisture from your breathing makes it penetrable. It’s no longer effective for you anyway. But it works for me to provide care to a single patient and remove it. If 5 of you didn’t use masks, I’d be protected for care of 5 patients.
3. Just stay home. I swear to you if I could I would. Open your windows. Clean out the fridge. Watch some Netflix. It’s a staycation. Just do it. So many people praising healthcare workers for going in and doing our jobs. It’s nice, but the best thank you we can get is to commit to stopping the spread. You might say when this is all over, it wasn’t as bad as we said it would be. That’s because what we advised worked. And if you want to complain about it being overkill, go for it. I’ll happily keep my mouth shut while you shame us for inconveniencing you.
4. Be kind. Please and thank you.

With love, Nurse Nancy

This has annoyed me. Yes, within reason gloves and masks can help people avoid catching this. People can't just stay in just because they're not doctors or nurses, it really is not that simple. Its sad and disturbing that this has become a sick competition for cleaning and PPE resources but anyone not looking after their own self in these circumstances would need their head testing. Just as an add on, it's not a staycation, its confinement, imprisonment, and imprisonment without guaranteed access to food. I am mostly trying to be kind but your attitude hasn't exactly inspired me to go that way.

Post by **rambo1** » 31 Mar 2020, 20:20

I would love to stay at home ,nurse nancy, if you would like to have a word with my boss, that'd be great. Sadly the GOVT have done a deal with our Union to class us as essential key workers ( I don't know one postie who wants to be).
My wife's an NHS worker, she doesn't want to go to work either but guess what, she has to, like me.
The other night when I said, the public are all gonna clap outside at eight tonight, as she was scoffing tea before going on another 12 hr night shift. Her reaction? I don't want thanks, just give me a mask. Claps aren't gonna keep me safe!

sicknote25 · Post by **sicknote25** » 31 Mar 2020, 20:50

rambo1 wrote:I would love to stay at home ,nurse nancy, if you would like to have a word with my boss, that'd be great. Sadly the GOVT have done a deal with our Union to class us as essential key workers ( I don't know one postie who wants to be).
My wife's an NHS worker, she doesn't want to go to work either but guess what, she has to, like me.
The other night when I said, the public are all gonna clap outside at eight tonight, as she was scoffing tea before going on another 12 hr night shift. Her reaction? I don't want thanks, just give me a mask. Claps aren't gonna keep me safe!

The government haven't done a deal... the CWU recommemded/offered our services via Royal Mail, this was still in discussion I believe. We were recognised as key workers but our services hadn't been agreed.

clashcityrocker · Post by **clashcityrocker** » 31 Mar 2020, 20:56

A bloke came into the toilet today.
He peed with his gloves on and then left without washing anything.

Would the union have backed me if I had gone home?

rumble1234 · Post by **rumble1234** » 31 Mar 2020, 22:37

Customers need to see us wearing them . I get funny looks if I'm not wearing them. As for indoors . Wash hands first thing put gloves on for ips bin them wash hands then change them for going out. We would love to stay home but it's not happening. Sorters and delivery staff should do alternate days. Mon wed fri sun are just prep days and other days are for guys coming in picking up what you've bagged for them. So what if it slows the pipeline down it could also slow down people dying.