- particularly those I personally know.
When this whole dispute began to be in the media limelight, at first I was confused. There was all the talk about pay - pay rise or pay cut - and hours, with you trying to tell the government that this was unsafe, and the government saying (via the media) that it was the way forward. But then, I realised that these changes stretched the current 5 days/7 days service to a fully 7 days service. People probably think that's a good thing, and probably can't understand why there is a dispute about Saturday pay - after all, they work Saturdays too, and they don't get paid extra.
I doubt they've seen what it's really like. What I saw during my hospital stays was a group of dedicated people trying your best to make sure we are properly looked after. I remember that, over the Christmas weekend, when a nurse asked for a doctor to come have a look at my hand - I had a cannula in, and because of the medication it was red and sore (not high priority, as the cannula had been taken out, and not life threatening) - I didn't see a doctor; they were busy, probably trying to get through a never-ending list of tasks and having to prioritise constantly. I have seen, well heard, doctors talking to patients late at night. I know that you hardly ever go home the minute your long shifts ends, because you make sure patients are ok, and that the staff on the next shift are up to date on their care.
If the current 5 days/7 days service is struggling, as I clearly saw, then how is it safe to extend it to a fully 7 days service? - I see that now, and I honestly cannot believe the government are not listening to you. You have been pushed to strike not once, but three times up to now. Please know that you have my full support (even if my appointments get cancelled); you helped to save my life, and that is not something I'll ever forget.
From a very grateful Patient.
When this whole dispute began to be in the media limelight, at first I was confused. There was all the talk about pay - pay rise or pay cut - and hours, with you trying to tell the government that this was unsafe, and the government saying (via the media) that it was the way forward. But then, I realised that these changes stretched the current 5 days/7 days service to a fully 7 days service. People probably think that's a good thing, and probably can't understand why there is a dispute about Saturday pay - after all, they work Saturdays too, and they don't get paid extra.
I doubt they've seen what it's really like. What I saw during my hospital stays was a group of dedicated people trying your best to make sure we are properly looked after. I remember that, over the Christmas weekend, when a nurse asked for a doctor to come have a look at my hand - I had a cannula in, and because of the medication it was red and sore (not high priority, as the cannula had been taken out, and not life threatening) - I didn't see a doctor; they were busy, probably trying to get through a never-ending list of tasks and having to prioritise constantly. I have seen, well heard, doctors talking to patients late at night. I know that you hardly ever go home the minute your long shifts ends, because you make sure patients are ok, and that the staff on the next shift are up to date on their care.
If the current 5 days/7 days service is struggling, as I clearly saw, then how is it safe to extend it to a fully 7 days service? - I see that now, and I honestly cannot believe the government are not listening to you. You have been pushed to strike not once, but three times up to now. Please know that you have my full support (even if my appointments get cancelled); you helped to save my life, and that is not something I'll ever forget.
From a very grateful Patient.