Old folk

[archiecat]

Sorry this is a bit of a 3/4 pissed rant.

I've just been for a walk to our village Spar shop to buy more booze, whilst waiting to be served I got chating to the shops supervisor, a bright and cheery guy in his late 30's early 40's, during the course of this chat he told me that he had worked in a nursing home for 2 1/2 years and had loved the job, he also told me that he became emotionaly involved with many of the people in his care many of them having nobody else to look to.

He also told me that he would like to go back to this work but it paid minimum wage and that was not enough to keep his family in any sort of decent way.

I left the shop and walked home feeling ashamed that we have created the society that we now have.

[kibbster]

Unfortunately it's not the people with the most important jobs that get the most rewarding pay :-(
Makes a mockery of bankers earnings and bonuses doesn't it.

[Blownupdolly]

My husband is a forensic psych nurse. He has worked in several different countries doing this job and no matter where you go it always seems to be that the pen pushers sitting in an office out of the way and in little or no danger get salaries way above their real worth, yet thoe on the front line getting spat on, attacked physically and verbally get a pittance in comparison. It just isn't right and when you look at the substandard nursing practice you see in some of these nursing homes and hospitals, often by staff brought in from abroad because they are willing to work for peanuts, is it any wonder there are so many problems? The old saying goes...pay peanuts you get monkeys. The decent honourable nurses will always be snapped up elsewhere leaving the poor old folks lacking. Of course there are many nurses who do a fabulous job in these homes, but none of them should have to work in such bad conditions for little more than pocket money.

[Raffles]

Feb 9, 2013 22:41:04 GMT kibbster said:

Unfortunately it's not the people with the most important jobs that get the most rewarding pay :-(
Makes a mockery of bankers earnings and bonuses doesn't it.

Absolutely 'kibbster', I truly despair of where this world is going. I'm in the Autumn of my life, but I am so worried about the life my kids (in their 30's) and my grandkids will inherit. Despite all the new laws and regulations that come into force everyday, the one true law of decency seems to be invisible. The only laws passed seem to benefit those that have already got enough, and the rest can go **** themselves!

[womble]

It's crazy, I've questioned for years how someone who programs a computer in a basic way, should earn 175K and someone who clears up sh** should earn minimum wage.

Unfortunately, it's supply and demand. Many people can do the front end and clean crap, not so many make it through university and do a decent job programming. But that's a whole new discussion entirely.

Being a manager does require certain skills, but too many haven't got them, also in general we have too many chiefs and not enough front line troops. And the ones at the coal face we do have, are considered expendable and if they don't want to do it, others will. No matter the skills they have.

What I'm trying to say, is that some skills are considered more important than others, which is wrong and it's the skills that we are talking about, the ones that involves care for other people, which are often held in contempt.

You see how many politicians parents and children go into general health and education care.
Mmmmm, not many. Tells you all you need to know.

[OneDay]

I've just come out of hospital and the old boy in the next bed was 91, doubly incontinent and blind. The ward staff looked after him with compassion 24 hours a day. His family popped in for a few minutes each day and argued with him. They didn't bother bringing him even a toothbrush or comb, which the ward staff provided. Go figure.

[Blownupdolly]

The thing is though Womble. Specialist trained nurses like my hubby also go to university and then spend years and years in additional training and qualifications yet the wages just don't match the dedication they have put in. These days it is mostly health care assistants that work in care homes. Depending on the size of the establishment there will often only be one fully registered trained nurse on duty.
3yrs ago while OH was waiting to start work in a prison drug treatment capacity he did a bit of agency work to get by. He was absolutely appalled at the set up in these places. Because of his training he was always the person in charge and often felt under immense pressure not only for making the place run smoothly, administering drugs and making sure patients were being cared for correctly by care assistants, but often found himself at odds with pen pushers refusing to allow correct and safe practice because of cost.
This was his first and last experience of care homes. He has sworn never to work in them again.

[womble]

Feb 9, 2013 23:37:53 GMT OneDay said:

I've just come out of hospital and the old boy in the next bed was 91, doubly incontinent and blind. The ward staff looked after him with compassion 24 hours a day. His family popped in for a few minutes each day and argued with him. They didn't bother bringing him even a toothbrush or comb, which the ward staff provided. Go figure.

Which just shows how great our front line NHS staff are, in general of course.

I know this has no input on the discussion, but I've been holding on to it for 15 years. So forgive me if I vent now
My Dad, when he was in hospital, was in the last stages of cancer, but quite well in himself, he was a great old boy (67) and spent the 4 weeks he was in, cheering everyone else on the ward up, never at his own bed, always at someone else's, he made friends with everyone and everyone was his friend.
Salesman to the last Dad, but a honest and fair salesman.

The staff were great at that hospital, up to and beyond my dads death, yet the same hospital got a terrible score on the stats and were behind on the money.... so what went... Staff/beds, useful staff that were brilliant and yet the managers were still there.

[womble]

Feb 9, 2013 23:50:34 GMT Blownupdolly said:

The thing is though Womble. Specialist trained nurses like my hubby also go to university and then spend years and years in additional training and qualifications yet the wages just don't match the dedication they have put in. These days it is mostly health care assistants that work in care homes. Depending on the size of the establishment there will often only be one fully registered trained nurse on duty.
3yrs ago while OH was waiting to start work in a prison drug treatment capacity he did a bit of agency work to get by. He was absolutely appalled at the set up in these places. Because of his training he was always the person in charge and often felt under immense pressure not only for making the place run smoothly, administering drugs and making sure patients were being cared for correctly by care assistants, but often found himself at odds with pen pushers refusing to allow correct and safe practice because of cost.
This was his first and last experience of care homes. He has sworn never to work in them again.

Which was why I said that some skills are considered more important than others. Sorry I didn't make that clear. Regardless of the time spend training.

[Blownupdolly]

No probs Womble I was agreeing with you. I just went off on a rant in general

[kibbster]

I've worked in an NHS geriatrics hospital ward and the standard of care was exemplary.
I did a pre-nursing course at college because back then I wanted to get into the ambulance service, various things happened and I went into IT instead.
Sad thing is I bet they were paid less then I am now (not that I'm on a lot.)

Place has been shut down now as far as I know, the same as the mental health hospital I was on placement at (again brilliant staff) that's residential flats now.