Why would anybody do this job?

“I'm consistently denied basic amenities and facilities because they are reserved for doctors. We have been told we cannot use toilets, kitchens or even water machines, because they are "reserved" for senior staff. I have personally been screamed at because I used the kitchen area to grab a coffee so that I could stay awake during my shift. Treating junior doctors like this is another reason why so many of us are leaving. I know this is also happening at hospitals across the UK, so this isn't just the case of a misunderstanding. Access to drinking water and toilets are ...

I have worked for many years as a nursing assistant in the same ward, but we are now constantly used as bank staff to work elsewhere. Getting moved to unfamiliar ward causes mistakes as it is not your speciality working with covid, only to then be returned back to your own ward. Morale is very low with people off sick because they can't do it anymore. The boss's dont support staff. Their answer is if you cant do the job, then don't be here. Most of my collegues love their ward, but are fed up being moved. The boss's tell ...

I work in a busy A&E department. I feel the patients are becoming more demanding, e.g: asking to be fed whilst waiting to see a doctor in the waiting area. I get that YES, food is a basic human right, but why is that my job as the triage nurse? I have a queue of people to get through, assess and treat. I don’t have waitress written across my forehead. There’s also a cafeteria and vending machines close by but the receptionist assume it’s my job. Another is: “I haven’t had my medication today” well, did you bring it with ...

I worked for an organisation for years and have just left for a new post. We have lost over half our staff as a result of no communication and support from management, bullying behaviours and unrealistic expectations regarding the amount of work which cant physically be fitted into our contracted hours. The workload has increased to a point it is unsustainable for the workers who are left, and the organisation cannot recruit as people don’t want to work there. We are not able to give our clients the time and service that they deserve because of the level of understaffing ...

Because of the lack of staff, we are told by senior doctors that right now the aim of the game is to just "keep things moving". The problem with this is that the quality of patient care is dropping, and we even have to turn a blind eye to things that are going on. Last year I treated a young boy for abdominal pain, but I noticed that someone had clearly been putting cigarettes out on him over a prolonged period. When I questioned the accompanying parent, they told me it was eczema... On that occasion I was so outraged, ...

When the pandemic hit, I was a manager in a large care home, working with older adults. Most of our service users had dementia, and couldn't understand what was happening, or why their families weren't coming to see them. At the start of the pandemic, we were asked by the health board to make anticipatory care plans and discuss with families whether they would want their loved ones going into hospital if they got COVID, with the unacknowledged real question being 'when they get COVID, do you want them to die here or in a hospital?' I had to call ...

This week I started my career as a junior doctor and whilst I have no doubt I was meant to do this job, I'm worried about my future and can honestly see myself leaving soon. The hospital where I work is on it's knees. It's like i've walked into a burning building and you can tell that everyone that works there is mentally and physically done. Looking at Twitter it's clear my hospital isn't unique and I applaud all those brave doctors that are speaking out about the state of the NHS, but I've heard too many horror stories about ...