"Clap For Carers" is back again

[bramling]

I can see when the Covid numbers start to drop (and they will) the NHS will still be winging on about something else and yet again 'day-to-day' patients will be put on the back burner.

CJ

This is an interesting point; a lot of people have been saying they’ve had bad experiences with the NHS over the last year. Not so much with critical care, but certainly with GP surgeries and routine treatments.

Maybe some people aren’t clapping as they’re less than happy?

 

[C J Snarzell]

This is an interesting point; a lot of people have been saying they’ve had bad experiences with the NHS over the last year. Not so much with critical care, but certainly with GP surgeries and routine treatments.

Maybe some people aren’t clapping as they’re less than happy?

bramling

My mum has a distant relative (who is the wife of her cousin) who is awaiting critical cancer treatment. She is on a death sentence unless the NHS pull their finger out. She has been denied key surgery since all this started. I know they haven't done the happy clapping for obvious reasons. Bad times for many people not necessarily affected by Covid.

CJ

 

[Welly]

Last nights footage on Channel 4 news was laughable! 3 London blokes half heartedly clapping and 2 girls in Edinburgh clapping accompanied by a bagpipe player jigging like she wanted the toilet!

Complete silence on my street.

 

[bramling]

bramling

My mum has a distant relative (who is the wife of her cousin) who is awaiting critical cancer treatment. She is on a death sentence unless the NHS pull their finger out. She has been denied key surgery since all this started. I know they haven't done the happy clapping for obvious reasons. Bad times for many people not necessarily affected by Covid.

CJ

Absolutely, and I bet this is the thin end of a very thick wedge. Certainly in my area getting a GP appointment is all nigh impossible - 2 minutes on the phone if you’re lucky, and that’s been the case since March even during the period over the summer where there were virtually no Covid cases locally. This certainly won’t be helping ease pressure on 111, hospitals and the ambulance services, as for many people if they’re not happy with what they’ve had from the GP over the phone then the obvious next step is 111, A&E or even 999.

I’ve certainly heard anecdotes of people who have paid quite significant sums of money for private treatment over the last few months because they lacked confidence in what the NHS was providing for them. I say anecdotally as obviously we only hear one side of the story.

The governance of the NHS will certainly have some questions to answer at the end of all this. It does feel like the ground staff have been largely left to get on with it.

 

[DustyBin]

Absolutely, and I bet this is the thin end of a very thick wedge. Certainly in my area getting a GP appointment is all nigh impossible - 2 minutes on the phone if you’re lucky, and that’s been the case since March even during the period over the summer where there were virtually no Covid cases locally. This certainly won’t be helping ease pressure on 111, hospitals and the ambulance services, as for many people if they’re not happy with what they’ve had from the GP over the phone then the obvious next step is 111, A&E or even 999.

I’ve certainly heard anecdotes of people who have paid quite significant sums of money for private treatment over the last few months because they lacked confidence in what the NHS was providing for them. I say anecdotally as obviously we only hear one side of the story.

The governance of the NHS will certainly have some questions to answer at the end of all this. It does feel like the ground staff have been largely left to get on with it.

I can give you another anecdote for what it's worth. My GF's cousin who is in her thirties and is perfectly fit and healthy was diagnosed with cancer a few weeks ago. They told her they'd caught it early but had to move fast. She was meant to be in surgery on Wednesday but it was cancelled at the last minute and she hasn't been given a new date. They told her to consider going private as the situation is time critical. They wouldn't know this, but she has actually got the means to do so, ironically following a recent family tragedy. Fingers crossed she can get the treatment she needs one way or another....

 

[kristiang85]

I can give you another anecdote for what it's worth. My GF's cousin who is in her thirties and is perfectly fit and healthy was diagnosed with cancer a few weeks ago. They told her they'd caught it early but had to move fast. She was meant to be in surgery on Wednesday but it was cancelled at the last minute and she hasn't been given a new date. They told her to consider going private as the situation is time critical. They wouldn't know this, but she has actually got the means to do so, ironically following a recent family tragedy. Fingers crossed she can get the treatment she needs one way or another....

Fingers crossed she gets seen to in time. But, as you say, they shouldn't assume anybody has the option to go private - it goes against everything the NHS was set up for.

I've said before on this forum about a former colleague who had chest pain complaints earlier in the year, but after many cancelled appointments finally got checked in the summer. She was told she had throat cancer, and it had already spread too far for them to be able to stop it. Apparently had she been checked when she first reported the symptoms it might have been early enough...

 

[DustyBin]

Fingers crossed she gets seen to in time. But, as you say, they shouldn't assume anybody has the option to go private - it goes against everything the NHS was set up for.

I've said before on this forum about a former colleague who had chest pain complaints earlier in the year, but after many cancelled appointments finally got checked in the summer. She was told she had throat cancer, and it had already spread too far for them to be able to stop it. Apparently had she been checked when she first reported the symptoms it might have been early enough...

Thanks. It's one of those things you generally hear about second hand but when it's somebody you know personally the full horror of the situation is realised.

 

[Typhoon]

I'm not certain that I would instigate a clap for them (because it is fairly meaningless) but the carers that have most earned my admiration have been the unpaid who have been caring for a relative or friend with dementia, disability, infirmity at this time and have lost the support networks that made their task less of a strain. I was such a carer until eighteen months ago, I really don't know how I would have been able to cope now. I know one such, in his 90's, no formal support now, can't have the vaccine, they have run out and don't know when they will get any more.

 

[C J Snarzell]

I can give you another anecdote for what it's worth. My GF's cousin who is in her thirties and is perfectly fit and healthy was diagnosed with cancer a few weeks ago. They told her they'd caught it early but had to move fast. She was meant to be in surgery on Wednesday but it was cancelled at the last minute and she hasn't been given a new date. They told her to consider going private as the situation is time critical. They wouldn't know this, but she has actually got the means to do so, ironically following a recent family tragedy. Fingers crossed she can get the treatment she needs one way or another....

Fingers crossed she gets the treatment ASAP. Life is far more important than money - if cash is available just go for it.

There definitely does need to be some sort of public enquiry about NHS non-Covid critical care in the future, once this chaos is over with.

I can see Johnson and Hancock giving evidence long after their departures from office - kind of like a Leverson enquiry where they are 'gripped' about their actions.

Without changing the subject - I ran into my dentist recently who is now semi-retired and still works three days a week with his daughter who is now a qualified dentist herself. He is only doing emergency appointments and the surgery has to be sterilised after each patient which takes about an hour. This is in line with what they have been told by the government.

He said they are probably not going to catch up with everyone's check ups until maybe next year (2022) which is not great if you need that filling or chipped tooth looking at now.

CJ

 

[DustyBin]

Fingers crossed she gets the treatment ASAP. Life is far more important than money - if cash is available just go for it.

There definitely does need to be some sort of public enquiry about NHS non-Covid critical care in the future, once this chaos is over with.

I can see Johnson and Hancock giving evidence long after their departures from office - kind of like a Leverson enquiry where they are 'gripped' about their actions.

Without changing the subject - I ran into my dentist recently who is now semi-retired and still works three days a week with his daughter who is now a qualified dentist herself. He is only doing emergency appointments and the surgery has to be sterilised after each patient which takes about an hour. This is in line with what they have been told by the government.

He said they are probably not going to catch up with everyone's check ups until maybe next year (2022) which is not great if you need that filling or chipped tooth looking at now.

CJ

Again, thanks. You mention fillings or a chipped tooth, these sound like such minor issues but they can be extremely painful and leaving them for months runs the risk of complications. I'm very very grateful that I don't need any kind of medical attention at present, it must be horrendous for those that do.

 

[duncanp]

....it goes against everything the NHS was set up for.

Except, that is, for the consultants who work in the NHS and the private sector.

They have a vested interest in keeping NHS waiting lists so long that people lost patience and go private.

 

[MikeWM]

Fingers crossed she gets seen to in time. But, as you say, they shouldn't assume anybody has the option to go private - it goes against everything the NHS was set up for.

Indeed. I've had private health insurance for many years as a benefit of my job, but I've never used it because, until this past year, I have been a passionate supporter of the NHS.

But currently I have to say my enthusiasm for it is rather dented. A cynic or a conspiracy theorist may say that was part of the Tory plan all along!

I've said before on this forum about a former colleague who had chest pain complaints earlier in the year, but after many cancelled appointments finally got checked in the summer. She was told she had throat cancer, and it had already spread too far for them to be able to stop it. Apparently had she been checked when she first reported the symptoms it might have been early enough...

Awful

Also, there are other time-critical non-fatal conditions where time is of the essence to maintain *quality* of life, and these are no doubt suffering too.

eg. I had a number of fairly complex problems with my eyesight a few years back, and fortunately I had an excellent consultant who pushed to get me into surgery very quickly, both for the first operation and the various subsequent complications. As such the NHS saved (most of) my sight.

I am very thankful that happened then rather than in the last year, as I don't expect I would have got such prompt care now.

 

[greyman42]

Last nights footage on Channel 4 news was laughable! 3 London blokes half heartedly clapping and 2 girls in Edinburgh clapping accompanied by a bagpipe player jigging like she wanted the toilet!

Complete silence on my street.

Yes i saw the bagpipe player. Just the usual attention seeker.

 

[weastebusdepot]

Last night's BBC North West Tonight late bulletin featured a video clip from Network Rail social media feed. It showed a large number of station staff on the concourse at Manchester Piccadilly all evenly spaced and clapping while standing on the dots marked on the floor. Meanwhile the one customer waiting for a train stood facing the other way, earphones in, ignoring the entire thing.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Staged for the cameras rather than actual news reportage?

Film footage of firmly closed front doors possibly doesn't look quite as newsworthy.

 

[takno]

Indeed. I've had private health insurance for many years as a benefit of my job, but I've never used it because, until this past year, I have been a passionate supporter of the NHS.

But currently I have to say my enthusiasm for it is rather dented. A cynic or a conspiracy theorist may say that was part of the Tory plan all along!

I've got to admit that my support is more than a little dented, but I'm not going to be put off supporting publicly-funded and provided healthcare just because the government have spent 10 years underfunding it and stuffing it with their incompetent pals. Their recent use of it as a human shield is just absurd.

All the more reason to get a better political system which doesn't appoint the most hapless greedy people as ministers, and to put them in prison when they use public services as a way to give stuff to their mates.

 

[MikeWM]

Staged for the cameras rather than actual news reportage?

Film footage of firmly closed front doors possibly doesn't look quite as newsworthy.

Given that apparently just about no-one was bothered last night, pretty clearly staged.

I'm sure when other countries did that kind of thing (in North Korea and the like) we used to point that out and say how bad a thing it was.

I've got to admit that my support is more than a little dented, but I'm not going to be put off supporting publicly-funded and provided healthcare just because the government have spent 10 years underfunding it and stuffing it with their incompetent pals. Their recent use of it as a human shield is just absurd.

All the more reason to get a better political system which doesn't appoint the most hapless greedy people as ministers, and to put them in prison when they use public services as a way to give stuff to their mates.

Oh, I agree to all of that. I'm concerned the NHS won't properly recover from this though.

To the latter point, a hundred times yes, though I'm not sure how we can get there anymore.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Given that apparently just about no-one was bothered last night, pretty clearly staged.

Bit like Damien Day (the news reporter played by Stephen Tompkinson in "Drop the Dead Donkey") who always used to carefully place "Dimbles" (the same apparently discarded teddy bear) in the nearest bomb crater / pile of rubble for his camera team to zoom in on.

 

[3rd rail land]

Glad it was a flop. It's clear nobody wants to partake in this pointless ritual. Hopefully by next Thursday everyone will have completely forgotten about it.

 

[trainophile]

It was so quickly taken over last year by the chavvy "who can make the most noise" brigade that it lost all the original meaning. As soon as people started competing with their biggest frying pans and heaviest spoons the whole concept lost all meaning. No wonder NHS workers asked people not to bother.

 

[kez19]

I was expecting this last night when I finished work last night (I am of the same opinion as others), I didn't mind at first but it did get a bit OTT over the summer but glad last night not a whimper!

 

[Tracked]

I was expecting this last night when I finished work last night (I am of the same opinion as others), I didn't mind at first but it did get a bit OTT over the summer but glad last night not a whimper!

Quiet here too, not sure whether it was due it being freezing cold or not, there was a few out on the Christmas Eve bell-ringing session. The original one was alright, nice weather, got to know some of the people down my street a bit better as a result, etc ... but what started out as clapping on the first few weeks gradually started getting drowned out by fireworks, dustbin/saucepan percussion, a trumpet, and so on (most of it from surrounding streets).

 

[scrapy]

Last night's BBC North West Tonight late bulletin featured a video clip from Network Rail social media feed. It showed a large number of station staff on the concourse at Manchester Piccadilly all evenly spaced and clapping while standing on the dots marked on the floor. Meanwhile the one customer waiting for a train stood facing the other way, earphones in, ignoring the entire thing.

I think that video was actually recorded last year. There certainly was a very similar one then if not.

 

[C J Snarzell]

Last night's BBC North West Tonight late bulletin featured a video clip from Network Rail social media feed. It showed a large number of station staff on the concourse at Manchester Piccadilly all evenly spaced and clapping while standing on the dots marked on the floor. Meanwhile the one customer waiting for a train stood facing the other way, earphones in, ignoring the entire thing.

LNER did one where all the staff are stood apart on a rail platform wearing their masks. In a bizarre way it almost looked like a cheesy music video by the 1980s band Five Star.

CJ

 

[SS4]

I'd completely forgotten it was on suffice it to say I wasn't reminded by the sound of clapping and I will use any excuse to go outside in this weather.

I always thought it was a cheap way to distract people from asking pertinent questions and an attempt to shame people into complying similar to how wearing the poppy has become. Captain Tom's publicity was much the same.

 

[Logan Carroll]

I'd completely forgotten it was on suffice it to say I wasn't reminded by the sound of clapping and I will use any excuse to go outside in this weather.

I always thought it was a cheap way to distract people from asking pertinent questions and an attempt to shame people into complying similar to how wearing the poppy has become. Captain Tom's publicity was much the same.

I couldn’t agree more. I have never worn a poppy in my entire life and hvae never been pulled up for it or felt left out though it may be different for others.

It’s also interesting to note that no money from tom moore’s fundraiser actually goes to helping you or me and infact goes to improving the amenities for NHS workers.

 

[Darandio]

It’s also interesting to note that no money from tom moore’s fundraiser actually goes to helping you or me and infact goes to improving the amenities for NHS workers.

And? His fundraiser was for NHS Charities Together, that was where he wanted the money to go so I cannot see anything wrong with that.

Although it's not strictly true that it's only for NHS workers, patients benefit both directly and indirectly.

 

[kristiang85]

It was NHS charities that produced that awful advert showing Father Christmas getting COVID (it was eventually pulled).

I hope none of his donated money was wasted on that.

 

[Logan Carroll]

It was NHS charities that produced that awful advert showing Father Christmas getting COVID (it was eventually pulled).

I hope none of his donated money was wasted on that.

Tells you everything you need to know with the state the NHS is in that they decided to waste money on a condescending advert.

 

[Jamesrob637]

I see on the Wikipedia page that there is no longer to be a national clap for carers day on the last Thursday of March however there will be a one-off clap for Sir Tom Moore this evening.