That's just awful Picci. I'm so sorry you are having to go through this. I'd try the GP for stress/anxiety/bullying as it doesn't sound as if the school will take responsibility. Hugs.I’m following this whole thread very closely.
I’m a type 1 teaching assistant in a middle school. (Years 5 to 8.)
My head fought with staff all throughout the summer about mask wearing, basically refusing point blank.
I sent numerous emails saying how much more vulnerable I am and he still said no.
In the end I asked my diabetes consultant to write to him insisting he allowed me to wear a mask.
This was still a problem for my head, he phoned saying he needed to discuss it further.
He knew in May my intention of returning to work in September, under the condition I wear a mask.
He did not carry out a risk assessment until yesterday, breaching the Union’s advice.
Then at the last minute, he said masks were optional in corridors but MUST be removed in class rooms. (Due to the government’s last minute guidelines.)
Four staff, (all in the NEU,) decided to start as we meant to go on and wore our masks on teacher training day. We did not remove them, making a point.
The head didn’t bring the matter up, we believe he realised he couldn’t do anything.
All staff move around school and the children stay in the same classroom throughout the day.
The classes are small and poorly ventilated, (old building,) all classes have 32-34 children sitting shoulder to shoulder, the teacher and a TA.
It’s very difficult to stay 2m away, I’m unable to support the children and I am following the ‘2m guidelines’ stringently.
All the other TA’s are ignoring the guidelines, they sit right next to the children and there is no social distancing between staff.
I brought this up with he head and he sent an email asking staff to remember to the 2m rule. It’s not made any difference.
He asked me what the school is doing well, I had to think of something. I told him hand sanitizer was a small bonus but it’s cancelled out by everything else.
I’m mixing with almost 300 children throughout the day, hot seating with their year group bubbles.
Following my meting with him (my union rep supported me) I went into the school office to get the laminator and the bitchy office manager and business manager said if I was so “scared” they would pass the laminator through the window.
They then told me I want allowed in an empty classroom to laminate as it was not scheduled to be used or cleaned until Monday.
I told them I would wipe down everything I touched in the classroom.
On return to the office with the laminator, the office manager literally threw the wet wipes at me and told me to wipe the laminator down. I told her I already had, and she replied, “yes, but you had to carry it down the corridor.”
This was uncalled for and since it happened right after my risk assessment meeting (the business manager took notes,) I feel the conversation i had in the meeting room has been discussed with the office manager, therefore breaking confidentiality.
I have used the laminator previously and was not asked to clean it, nor are any of my colleagues. We are all touching photo copiers and door handles constantly, and we all must remember to clean out hands as much as possible. It’s impossible to keep ‘clean’ 100%.
I’m extremely anxious and feel I’m the only one who cares, other than my union members and rep.
I mentioned what the office staff had said to my friend/colleague (who is also my union rep.)
She immediately said that was a union matter and low level bullying which could escalate. I gave her a full and detailed account of what was said and how I felt and she emailed my head on my behalf and as union rep.
He won’t accept the email unless I have an informal conversation as per the grievance policy. I told him I was not going to discuss it informally without my union rep. He won’t do it and said if I want it resolving it must be done as per the grievance policy.
Due to my fragile state, anxiety and stress, I do not want to have to go over things again and again. My blood sugars are all over the place, every say I go to work and something else happens.
Sadly, I don’t have the “fight” in me to peruse this grievance informally so the office staff have “won”.
This is not me, I fight for my rights.....
I just want peace.
****** hell, I can’t believe how much I’ve written...... if nobody reads it I can wholeheartedly understand. It’s get it off my chest so I suppose it’s been of benefit.
I want to see my GP and attempt to be signed off for anxiety. I feel physically sick, I can feel my heart beating in my throat, I’m shaky and can’t sleep, focus or smile. I’m so disengaged.
Happy weekend.....
Post edited by moderator in line with forum rules on acceptable language
Covid and Work, Covid Advice and General Chat
- Thread starter Max68
- Start Date
Boris Johnson battles second wave - just when you thought it was safe ...
The PM is facing a backlash over tough new restrictions to control Covid but his real priority is to fend off a second lockdown
Times Coronavirus Update <[email protected]>
Caroline Wheeler
Sunday September 13 2020, 12.01am, The Sunday Timnce remarked that the “real hero” of classic horror film Jaws wasn’t the policeman who eventually killed it, but the mayor Larry Vaughn. Why? Because he ignored all the warnings that a great white was eating people and kept Amity’s beaches open.
For Johnson the lesson was clear: Vaughn should be praised for trying to protect the local economy. “We need more politicians like the mayor — we are often the only obstacle against all the nonsense which is really a massive conspiracy against the taxpayer,” the future prime minister argued when he was running for London mayor in 2006.
Global confirmed cases 28,661,777
Global deaths 919,094
UK confirmed cases 367,592
Last night's news said we had just under 3500 cases Is 5915 above the true figure?
UK deaths 41,712
Good morning
The coronavirus is spreading through care homes again. Leaked documents show the government is failing to protect the most vulnerable and there have been 43 outbreaks detected so far. At the start of the pandemic, the decision to move hospital patients into care homes, often without testing, contributed to 20,000 Covid-related deaths.
To prevent another outbreak, the government promised weekly testing for staff and monthly tests for care home residents in July. It reached the target only last week.
Meanwhile, most British laboratories are clearing fewer tests than their stated capacity, as they are hit by "chaos" in supply chains. The government claims that it has the capacity for 375,000 tests a day but, in reality, it has averaged 67,000 tests per day since the beginning of this month.
Elsewhere, after suffering heavily in the first wave of the pandemic, Sweden looks in better shape than much of Europe. Has it been clever or lucky?
Fairygodmother
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The new assessment of Covid vulnerability, based on 4 factors, is also, I think, ready to go. I’m basing this on items in the press and a bit of googling. It may make us reassess Sweden: even though their care home deaths were bad, and it’s not really true to say they took no preventative measures, I think that their economy hasn’t suffered as badly as ours has.
Boris Johnson battles second wave - just when you thought it was safe ...
The PM is facing a backlash over tough new restrictions to control Covid but his real priority is to fend off a second lockdown
Times Coronavirus Update <[email protected]>
Caroline Wheeler
Sunday September 13 2020, 12.01am, The Sunday Timnce remarked that the “real hero” of classic horror film Jaws wasn’t the policeman who eventually killed it, but the mayor Larry Vaughn. Why? Because he ignored all the warnings that a great white was eating people and kept Amity’s beaches open.
For Johnson the lesson was clear: Vaughn should be praised for trying to protect the local economy. “We need more politicians like the mayor — we are often the only obstacle against all the nonsense which is really a massive conspiracy against the taxpayer,” the future prime minister argued when he was running for London mayor in 2006.
Global confirmed cases 28,661,777388,465
Global deaths 919,0946,076
UK confirmed cases 367,5925,915
Last night's news said we had just under 3500 cases Is 5915 above the true figure?
UK deaths 41,71298
Good morning
The coronavirus is spreading through care homes again. Leaked documents show the government is failing to protect the most vulnerable and there have been 43 outbreaks detected so far. At the start of the pandemic, the decision to move hospital patients into care homes, often without testing, contributed to 20,000 Covid-related deaths.
To prevent another outbreak, the government promised weekly testing for staff and monthly tests for care home residents in July. It reached the target only last week.
Meanwhile, most British laboratories are clearing fewer tests than their stated capacity, as they are hit by "chaos" in supply chains. The government claims that it has the capacity for 375,000 tests a day but, in reality, it has averaged 67,000 tests per day since the beginning of this month.
Elsewhere, after suffering heavily in the first wave of the pandemic, Sweden looks in better shape than much of Europe. Has it been clever or lucky?
Re Larry Vaughn from Jaws it's funny that you posted that because I compared Boris to him months ago! Sadly we don't seem to have a Chief Brody or Quint to save us all at this point!!
Watched a video last night from a news interview in the States that claimed 95% of all those that ended up in hospital with Covid had at least one underlying condition. Your risk increased if you had two co-morbidities. Two co-morbidities that the guy mentioned were Hypertension (which is generally ignored as a risk here) and diabetes. I've got both!!
The problem yet again is that there seems to be no guideline for what the medical fraternity consider as Hypertension or Diabetes. Is it anything over 120/80 or 130/90 for Hypertension? Is it over a certain HBA1c for Diabetes? Is treated/controlled Hypertension or Diabetes any more or less risk than uncontrolled? Six months or more into the pandemic and no one seems any wiser!
Last edited:
Fairygodmother
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I think I need to take back what I said above - a bit more research showed me I was too swift to assess it.
https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m2376
https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m2376
LFears grow for care homes as coronavirus cases rise across UK
Government urges care providers to take action to stop spread of virus among residents
Published:09:17 Sun 13 September 2020
Concerns are growing over an increase in Covid-19 cases in care homes in England, prompting the government to send an alert to care providers to highlight the rising rates and to call for action.
The letter, sent on Friday, urges care bosses to “take the necessary action to prevent and limit outbreaks”, pointing out that in the last three days there had been an increase in notifications of coronavirus cases in care homes.
At the moment it is the workforce that is most affected, but the letter says that “clearly” there is a risk that the virus will spread to residents and in some cases already has.
The letter, which was written by Stuart Miller, the director of adult social care delivery at the Department of Health and Social Care, said: “You will know already that we are experiencing a rise in confirmed Covid-19 cases, across the UK population. I need to alert you to the first signs this rise is being reflected in care homes too.
“Over the past three days, Public Health England (PHE) has reported an increase in notifications of Covid-19 cases in care homes. Testing data has also shown an increase in the number of positive results.
“Currently, the infections are mainly affecting the workforce but clearly there is a risk the virus will spread to care home residents, or to other parts of the care sector. Unfortunately, in some care homes with recent outbreaks, this does appear to have occurred, with residents also becoming infected.”
The Sunday Times reported a Department of Health report marked “official sensitive” and circulated on Friday said that the rate of coronavirus recorded through satellite tests – which are used in care homes – had quadrupled since the start of the month.
The newspaper also said that the health secretary, Matt Hancock, was given an emergency update on Wednesday saying that outbreaks had been detected in 43 care homes.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said: “Throughout our coronavirus response we have been doing everything we can to ensure all staff and residents in care homes are protected.
“We are testing all residents and staff, have provided 200m items of PPE and ring-fenced £600m to prevent infections in care homes, with a further £3.7bn available to councils to address pressures caused by the pandemic, including in adult social care.
“There is a high demand for tests and our laboratories continue to turn test results around as quickly as possible and we plan to rapidly expand it in the coming weeks as well as bringing in new technology to process tests faster.”
The concern over care homes comes as more than 3,000 coronavirus cases were recorded overall in the UK for the second day in a row – the first time since mid-May that recorded cases have been above that level on consecutive days.
The government said that as of 9am on Saturday, there had been a further 3,497 lab-confirmed cases in the UK, slightly lower than the 3,539 cases recorded on Friday.
Tough new Covid-19 lockdown measures were announced for parts of the UK on Friday as cases continued to rise and as the “R” number – the reproduction number of coronavirus transmission – climbed above 1.
According to government advisers, the last time R was above 1 was in early March.
The public had been warned against having a “party weekend” ahead of rule changes on Monday, when social gatherings in England will be limited to groups of six people both indoors and outdoors, a restriction dubbed the “rule of six”.
Police have been dispersing gatherings and handing out fixed penalty notices over the weekend, with one teenager facing a £10,000 fine for hosting a house party with dozens of guests in Nottingham.
Meanwhile, the Sunday Telegraph reported that up to 4.5 million people deemed to be at risk of serious illness from Covid-19 will be asked to stay at home again or given tailored advice on protecting themselves if cases in England rise to dangerous
Show
The newspaper said people identified using a new “risk model” based on factors such as underlying health conditions, age, sex and weight will receive letters containing specific advice.
The plan is initially due to operate in areas with severe levels of infection, but officials are prepared to roll it out nationwide if required, a source told the newspaper.
A DHSC spokeswoman said: “We keep all aspects of our response to the pandemic under review and in line with the advice of our scientific and medical experts.
“Shielding for the clinically extremely vulnerable has been paused since the start of August in most of the country while average rates of coronavirus remain low. Shielding is still advised in specific areas of the country where prevalence of the virus is higher.”
According to the paper, Boris Johnson is believed to be considering introducing a 10pm or 11pm curfew on restaurants, bars and pubs if local measures are unable to bring the spread of the virus under control.
The move stems from a concern that adherence to social distancing measures diminishes the more people consume alcohol.
Apologies for not very good link,I can never master via phone.
General gist of this is that infection is on rise in care homes. I only found it via link on Facebook, it's not on front pages of Guardian.
Obviously it is of concern to any carers or those with relatives in care.
However further down is paragraph on how government intend to protect vulnerable which seems to be to send out letters to those who are high risk due to underlying health conditions, BMI etc.
It implies this might depend on local infections etc.
Call me paranoid but my gut instincts have paid off so far.
This governments track record on protecting the vulnerable is abysmal. Initially it was on Gov.Uk that all those in receipt of flu jab would have to self isolate for 12 weeks. This was later taken down. Interestingly I managed to register on Pulse a UK website for GPs etc and the same advice was on there.
Shielding letters were often late and the system seemed unpredictable with some included who shouldnt be and others who should not being. They certainly rarely dropped on diabetics mats. I think we realise now we are to large a group and also to diverse.
Certainly over the past few months diabetics have lived in hope that workplace protection would be in place.
Its inconsistent and appears to be at discretion of employers. Unions have limited powers to protect us. Certainly in education from what I've read on here their appears to be a reluctance by some Head teachers to talk to unions and they only pay lip service to Covid safety. It's too expensive and to complex to put expensive protocols in place that are really only for a few employees.
Unions and MPs are discretely saying the only way to protect yourself is to persuade your GP to sign you off. Therein lies another strange issue. Some GPs although fully acknowledging risk seem stubbornly refusing or at the very least be unwilling to sign people off. Why? What harm does it do to them. On mental health grounds alone it is genuine.
Indicators are that the virus is accelerating and we could be on verge of second wave. The opinion of organisations such as RCN are that we are no better prepared to deal with it,maybe less prepared as many front line staff are exhausted. More is known about how to treat virus which is some consolation.
Test and trace is in chaos.
Why with all these problems do the government wait a week before enforcing 6 person rule whilst wagging a finger and telling people not to "party "this weekend? Viruses dont wait for legal sanctions. Going on the track record I can only assume they want people to spend spend spend as long as can. The young and healthy are at less risk ,those of 70 can choose to lie low. Many are saving money as socialising less.
High risk frontline workers are caught in crossfire.
The government may send out letters eventually. I do however think it will be done when they have absolutely no choice and with their usual competence
.
It feels to me we are in a similar position to early March. The virus is out there. To what extent is problematical. Statistics can be retrospective. Even in lower risk areas we cant be quite sure how low that risk is.
I think we all now appreciate we have to do our own risk assessment with regard to age,gender,bmi,work place risk etc. It feels as though the goalposts have changed and what may have been less risky even a week ago has changed.
It may come down to two choices. You trust the government to do the right thing and protect the health of vulnerable individuals and to do this sooner rather than after the event. The other option is to protect your own health by any means possible. This may involve persuading a reluctant GP to sign you off. At the very least a few weeks of bought time for any government help to kick in.
I am sure there are those reading this who think I'm paranoid or scaremongering.
For those who dont know in early March the employers I work for blatantly lied about Covid in our care home. I only confirmed this 3/4 of the way through a 12 hour shift. Fortunately I had been exceptionally stringent in what I touched and belongings. I never went back. Two weeks later the floor I work on was decimated by Covid and it spread throughout building staff were infected and a third of the residents died.
At the time I felt paranoid. Now I feel lucky to be well.
Government urges care providers to take action to stop spread of virus among residents
Published:09:17 Sun 13 September 2020
Concerns are growing over an increase in Covid-19 cases in care homes in England, prompting the government to send an alert to care providers to highlight the rising rates and to call for action.
The letter, sent on Friday, urges care bosses to “take the necessary action to prevent and limit outbreaks”, pointing out that in the last three days there had been an increase in notifications of coronavirus cases in care homes.
At the moment it is the workforce that is most affected, but the letter says that “clearly” there is a risk that the virus will spread to residents and in some cases already has.
The letter, which was written by Stuart Miller, the director of adult social care delivery at the Department of Health and Social Care, said: “You will know already that we are experiencing a rise in confirmed Covid-19 cases, across the UK population. I need to alert you to the first signs this rise is being reflected in care homes too.
“Over the past three days, Public Health England (PHE) has reported an increase in notifications of Covid-19 cases in care homes. Testing data has also shown an increase in the number of positive results.
“Currently, the infections are mainly affecting the workforce but clearly there is a risk the virus will spread to care home residents, or to other parts of the care sector. Unfortunately, in some care homes with recent outbreaks, this does appear to have occurred, with residents also becoming infected.”
The Sunday Times reported a Department of Health report marked “official sensitive” and circulated on Friday said that the rate of coronavirus recorded through satellite tests – which are used in care homes – had quadrupled since the start of the month.
The newspaper also said that the health secretary, Matt Hancock, was given an emergency update on Wednesday saying that outbreaks had been detected in 43 care homes.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said: “Throughout our coronavirus response we have been doing everything we can to ensure all staff and residents in care homes are protected.
“We are testing all residents and staff, have provided 200m items of PPE and ring-fenced £600m to prevent infections in care homes, with a further £3.7bn available to councils to address pressures caused by the pandemic, including in adult social care.
“There is a high demand for tests and our laboratories continue to turn test results around as quickly as possible and we plan to rapidly expand it in the coming weeks as well as bringing in new technology to process tests faster.”
The concern over care homes comes as more than 3,000 coronavirus cases were recorded overall in the UK for the second day in a row – the first time since mid-May that recorded cases have been above that level on consecutive days.
The government said that as of 9am on Saturday, there had been a further 3,497 lab-confirmed cases in the UK, slightly lower than the 3,539 cases recorded on Friday.
Tough new Covid-19 lockdown measures were announced for parts of the UK on Friday as cases continued to rise and as the “R” number – the reproduction number of coronavirus transmission – climbed above 1.
According to government advisers, the last time R was above 1 was in early March.
The public had been warned against having a “party weekend” ahead of rule changes on Monday, when social gatherings in England will be limited to groups of six people both indoors and outdoors, a restriction dubbed the “rule of six”.
Police have been dispersing gatherings and handing out fixed penalty notices over the weekend, with one teenager facing a £10,000 fine for hosting a house party with dozens of guests in Nottingham.
Meanwhile, the Sunday Telegraph reported that up to 4.5 million people deemed to be at risk of serious illness from Covid-19 will be asked to stay at home again or given tailored advice on protecting themselves if cases in England rise to dangerous
Show
The newspaper said people identified using a new “risk model” based on factors such as underlying health conditions, age, sex and weight will receive letters containing specific advice.
The plan is initially due to operate in areas with severe levels of infection, but officials are prepared to roll it out nationwide if required, a source told the newspaper.
A DHSC spokeswoman said: “We keep all aspects of our response to the pandemic under review and in line with the advice of our scientific and medical experts.
“Shielding for the clinically extremely vulnerable has been paused since the start of August in most of the country while average rates of coronavirus remain low. Shielding is still advised in specific areas of the country where prevalence of the virus is higher.”
According to the paper, Boris Johnson is believed to be considering introducing a 10pm or 11pm curfew on restaurants, bars and pubs if local measures are unable to bring the spread of the virus under control.
The move stems from a concern that adherence to social distancing measures diminishes the more people consume alcohol.
Apologies for not very good link,I can never master via phone.
General gist of this is that infection is on rise in care homes. I only found it via link on Facebook, it's not on front pages of Guardian.
Obviously it is of concern to any carers or those with relatives in care.
However further down is paragraph on how government intend to protect vulnerable which seems to be to send out letters to those who are high risk due to underlying health conditions, BMI etc.
It implies this might depend on local infections etc.
Call me paranoid but my gut instincts have paid off so far.
This governments track record on protecting the vulnerable is abysmal. Initially it was on Gov.Uk that all those in receipt of flu jab would have to self isolate for 12 weeks. This was later taken down. Interestingly I managed to register on Pulse a UK website for GPs etc and the same advice was on there.
Shielding letters were often late and the system seemed unpredictable with some included who shouldnt be and others who should not being. They certainly rarely dropped on diabetics mats. I think we realise now we are to large a group and also to diverse.
Certainly over the past few months diabetics have lived in hope that workplace protection would be in place.
Its inconsistent and appears to be at discretion of employers. Unions have limited powers to protect us. Certainly in education from what I've read on here their appears to be a reluctance by some Head teachers to talk to unions and they only pay lip service to Covid safety. It's too expensive and to complex to put expensive protocols in place that are really only for a few employees.
Unions and MPs are discretely saying the only way to protect yourself is to persuade your GP to sign you off. Therein lies another strange issue. Some GPs although fully acknowledging risk seem stubbornly refusing or at the very least be unwilling to sign people off. Why? What harm does it do to them. On mental health grounds alone it is genuine.
Indicators are that the virus is accelerating and we could be on verge of second wave. The opinion of organisations such as RCN are that we are no better prepared to deal with it,maybe less prepared as many front line staff are exhausted. More is known about how to treat virus which is some consolation.
Test and trace is in chaos.
Why with all these problems do the government wait a week before enforcing 6 person rule whilst wagging a finger and telling people not to "party "this weekend? Viruses dont wait for legal sanctions. Going on the track record I can only assume they want people to spend spend spend as long as can. The young and healthy are at less risk ,those of 70 can choose to lie low. Many are saving money as socialising less.
High risk frontline workers are caught in crossfire.
The government may send out letters eventually. I do however think it will be done when they have absolutely no choice and with their usual competence
.It feels to me we are in a similar position to early March. The virus is out there. To what extent is problematical. Statistics can be retrospective. Even in lower risk areas we cant be quite sure how low that risk is.
I think we all now appreciate we have to do our own risk assessment with regard to age,gender,bmi,work place risk etc. It feels as though the goalposts have changed and what may have been less risky even a week ago has changed.
It may come down to two choices. You trust the government to do the right thing and protect the health of vulnerable individuals and to do this sooner rather than after the event. The other option is to protect your own health by any means possible. This may involve persuading a reluctant GP to sign you off. At the very least a few weeks of bought time for any government help to kick in.
I am sure there are those reading this who think I'm paranoid or scaremongering.
For those who dont know in early March the employers I work for blatantly lied about Covid in our care home. I only confirmed this 3/4 of the way through a 12 hour shift. Fortunately I had been exceptionally stringent in what I touched and belongings. I never went back. Two weeks later the floor I work on was decimated by Covid and it spread throughout building staff were infected and a third of the residents died.
At the time I felt paranoid. Now I feel lucky to be well.
HSSS
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Fairygodmother
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"It may come down to two choices. You trust the government to do the right thing and protect the health of vulnerable individuals and to do this sooner rather than after the event. The other option is to protect your own health by any means possible. This may involve persuading a reluctant GP to sign you off. At the very least a few weeks of bought time for any government help to kick in."
That sums it up brilliantly of how "reactive" the Government has been since day one. No proactive measures at all, always after the horse has bolted and people have either got seriously ill or died. I'm very tempted to just ask my GP to sign me off with stress and claim SSP for 26 weeks or whatever it is an hope that by the time those 26 weeks are up I'm on some sort of Official "work from home" list. Or will the Government "ignore" diabetes on any such list like they did first time around?!
I'm staggered that no-one in power has learnt from the 1919 pandemic. Three waves, second wave worse than the first. Hardly rocket science to see how these viruses behave.
It's obvious what is going on. Take care homes and schools as that is what we have talked about at length on this thread. I go to work but yet will either do my shopping on click and collect or briefly visit a shop. That's the limit of my social life in order to try and protect myself. However some younger staff will pop off to the pub, visit friends and generally socialise like there is no pandemic and then they return to work or visit parents or grand parents placing family and colleagues at risk. Because it's too freedom limiting the Government won't tell those people to consider what vocation they are in and act accordingly. If you work in a school or care limit your own risks even if you are healthy to protect others. Sacrifice that bit of freedom until this is all over to protect others. But they won't say this and those people won't do it.
That sums it up brilliantly of how "reactive" the Government has been since day one. No proactive measures at all, always after the horse has bolted and people have either got seriously ill or died. I'm very tempted to just ask my GP to sign me off with stress and claim SSP for 26 weeks or whatever it is an hope that by the time those 26 weeks are up I'm on some sort of Official "work from home" list. Or will the Government "ignore" diabetes on any such list like they did first time around?!
I'm staggered that no-one in power has learnt from the 1919 pandemic. Three waves, second wave worse than the first. Hardly rocket science to see how these viruses behave.
It's obvious what is going on. Take care homes and schools as that is what we have talked about at length on this thread. I go to work but yet will either do my shopping on click and collect or briefly visit a shop. That's the limit of my social life in order to try and protect myself. However some younger staff will pop off to the pub, visit friends and generally socialise like there is no pandemic and then they return to work or visit parents or grand parents placing family and colleagues at risk. Because it's too freedom limiting the Government won't tell those people to consider what vocation they are in and act accordingly. If you work in a school or care limit your own risks even if you are healthy to protect others. Sacrifice that bit of freedom until this is all over to protect others. But they won't say this and those people won't do it.
Fairygodmother
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Look for the 4C assessment of Covid patients. It’s for hospital admissions.
https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/370/bmj.m3339.full.pdf
I found that earlier but the article is shorter than it was an hour ago.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/news...-homes-put-on-alert/ar-BB18YXqA?ocid=msedgdhp
Fairygodmother
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- Bigotry, reliance on unsupported 'facts', unkindness, unfairness.
Yayy,never thought being overweight could cheer me up
! My care home as well as being majorly unhelpful have just sacked the second manager since April. My sick certificate runs out on 19th. I'm not convinced my GP will renew it,she didnt seem keen in July but things have changed since then. I've emailed one of the higher up managers who has a decent reputation and await her reply. I'm not on the rotas for the week I'm due back. The Deputy in charge until the new manager starts is decent enough and tbh cant see him wanting hassle. The only reason I need some sort of resolution is Universal Credit. If I was to resign needs to be sooner rather than later. It may be that one solution open to me and that put in email is for me to do some form of work from home even if it's only 2 hours a week. I'm also wondering if bank work or zero hour contract is an option as it appears there is no lower limit can work on UC. More than anything it's the uncertainty, a new manager might be efficient and demand to know why I'm not there,although with their track record efficiency is highly unlikely. If they were it would all kick off with same old debates about risk assessments and to be honest I'm bored with it. It's a stressful game which cant win. They arent paying me and at moment have enough staff etc so fingers crossed. I think being signed off is a good option at the moment Max. It's not ideal and for me it went against the grain but its kept me safe. I've been lucky enough not to have any problems with mental health before this. The anxiety is real though,I was having nightmares about work and every time I have to deal with the issue I get tearful and heart races. I'm also just coming to terms with the residents who died,six of whom I worked very closely with.
This is why I find the GP issues so problematical!
Yayy,never thought being overweight could cheer me up! My care home as well as being majorly unhelpful have just sacked the second manager since April. My sick certificate runs out on 19th. I'm not convinced my GP will renew it,she didnt seem keen in July but things have changed since then. I've emailed one of the higher up managers who has a decent reputation and await her reply. I'm not on the rotas for the week I'm due back. The Deputy in charge until the new manager starts is decent enough and tbh cant see him wanting hassle. The only reason I need some sort of resolution is Universal Credit. If I was to resign needs to be sooner rather than later. It may be that one solution open to me and that put in email is for me to do some form of work from home even if it's only 2 hours a week. I'm also wondering if bank work or zero hour contract is an option as it appears there is no lower limit can work on UC. More than anything it's the uncertainty, a new manager might be efficient and demand to know why I'm not there,although with their track record efficiency is highly unlikely. If they were it would all kick off with same old debates about risk assessments and to be honest I'm bored with it. It's a stressful game which cant win. They arent paying me and at moment have enough staff etc so fingers crossed.
I think being signed off is a good option at the moment Max. It's not ideal and for me it went against the grain but its kept me safe. I've been lucky enough not to have any problems with mental health before this. The anxiety is real though,I was having nightmares about work and every time I have to deal with the issue I get tearful and heart races. I'm also just coming to terms with the residents who died,six of whom I worked very closely with.
This is why I find the GP issues so problematical!
Problem is will a GP sign me off?! Then it's the problem of works new sickness policy which could mean a lengthy time off sick could end up with me losing my job anyway! So difficult that we are put in this situation. Nobody should be terrified of working and I always thought employers and GP's should show a duty of care to their employees and patients!!
I think this is the problem. There is a lot known about the virus but not enough. 90 year old have survived it and young people havent. It seems to be a myriad of potential physical risks. Then to that you have to add environmental risks and infection rates. I'm sure theres an element of sheer luck involved as well.! I know with care homes there was some research that indicated dementia itself might make you physiologically more vulnerable.
My eldest daughter visited a few weeks ago. We continued to socially distance. I must admit at time things appeared to be improving and I was starting to think I should relax a little. On her return home she felt really unwell and had a covid test which was inconclusive. She has followed guidelines but my grandson had been to a summer camp to prepare for starting school. Shes fine now,and has always been prone to chest infections. It was quite a sobering experience though.
I think with GP theres always that uncertainty. I would have a think about what you want to say to her. How does the prospect of being at work make you feel? I think it can be really hard to admit struggling. There are lots of useful resources online,including on NHS website where can do an anxiety/depression self assessment which can share with GP. It may help to think about your job pre covid and how you feel now. Also helps to write it down.
Often we cope with things and the pressure increases but we get used to it. It's only when we stop we realise how bad it is. In less than a week you are increasingly doing work at home. Covid guidelines are not really being strictly enforced. Even our useless government states that high risk groups can only return to work if its Covid safe. I think we are all realising how unrealistic a covid safe environment is in some environments.
Forgetting about the practical problems I think being put in a situation that you are told is very high risk but being powerless to reduce that risk is psychologically devastating. I have seen written elsewhere even soldiers sent to frontline are given weapons and armour. Imagine they were told to just duck or socially distance!
If all else fails channel your inner Dustin Hoffman and cry!
As for the sickness policy. Bring it on! I worked for local council and their sickness policy was evil. They could make life difficult but as long as had sick note /genuine condition they couldn't sack you without an awful lot of good reasons. There is also fact that diabetes is classified as disability. It's not something I've ever thought about until recently. Chances are if they do try and sack you you could sue them for discrimination. As the popular saying goes these are unprecedented times and some of old rules are no longer fit for purpose. It may take a while to change but I think it will.
lucylocket61
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Mr_Pot
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This is a very long thread so apologies if I have missed it but what is it that makes you think you are so vulnerable @Max68 ? At 52 you are not in the over 70's bracket, is your diabetes not well controlled or do you have some other underlying condition?
ert
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You're stating outdated advice in the media. My specialist's letter, dated August, which has me working from home, states that diabetes makes me 3x as likely to get severe symptoms of Covid-19 even with an HbA1c of 5.3%. It also goes on to state that classrooms containing 15-35 students from ages 12 to 19 can't possibly be ventilated enough. Unlike the government's chief scientist and his advice on returning all vulnerable and extremely vulnerable teachers to the classroom, my specialist has no political motivation to keep the economy going, and simply wants to make sure I'm safe.
Being type 1, I'm under the care of a specialist which @Max68 is not.
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Thankyou ert. I think that sums up perfectly why this situation is so complex.
I think it also highlights how random being high risk and vulnerable is.
You could be a male BAME overweight diabetic working in a high risk environment. How protected you are is down to the ethics of your employer and it does seem to be the support of a specialist. It doesnt mean the risk is any less,it just means you have no protection!
I still think some people view this virus as a type of flu which affects a group of people equally. Unfortunately it seems to hone in on certain aspects of certain conditions. I may be wrong but I get the impression it homes in on diabetics regardless .its severity depends on other risk factors.
