Doctors going on strike hurting patients?

Sir Humphrey Appleby · 05-10-2013 09:28AM

stumfit wrote: »

I was listening to the radio this morning and Minister O Reilly was saying that the doctors going on strike next Tuesday would leave many patients in pain or even worse in some cases. Surely this has to be stopped? who will be there if the doctors walk out?

It is fatso Reilly who is to blame, more patients are probably hurt by doctors working 100 hours a week often working shirts in excess of 36 hours at a time, because of fatso Reillys and his HSE's refusal to operate within the law.

hansfrei · 05-10-2013 10:08AM

Sir Humphrey Appleby wrote: »

It is fatso Reilly who is to blame, more patients are probably hurt by doctors working 100 hours a week often working shirts in excess of 36 hours at a time, because of fatso Reillys and his HSE's refusal to operate within the law.

Someone is scheduling these 30 hour shifts. Some "manager" is inchrge of this circus. People need sacking over this. Thats the story.

sam34 · 05-10-2013 10:42AM

hansfrei wrote: »

Have to ask. Do you vote at election time??
Do you realise FF/FG members will never see a junior doctor?
Do you imagine they care?

yes I do vote, work hours permitting. (I didn't get to vote yesterday as I didn't get home from work til after the polling station closed, and I hadn't gone to vote in the morning as I assumed I'd be home in time)

yes, I do realise its a non issue for many of our politicians, I'm not naive. but it needs to become an issue for them, which is in part what this strike is about, make the public aware,who will in turn make it an issue for politicians. is it that simple amd straightforward? no, but it might help somewhat.

hansfrei · 05-10-2013 12:43PM

sam34 wrote: »

yes I do vote, work hours permitting. (I didn't get to vote yesterday as I didn't get home from work til after the polling station closed, and I hadn't gone to vote in the morning as I assumed I'd be home in time)

yes, I do realise its a non issue for many of our politicians, I'm not naive. but it needs to become an issue for them, which is in part what this strike is about, make the public aware,who will in turn make it an issue for politicians. is it that simple amd straightforward? no, but it might help somewhat.

For many politicians. Sure.

I think a ploicy of not electing cnurts should be what your union pushes.

I feel sorry doctors. I wouldn't work for ANYONE who'd treat me like they treat Jr. Doctors.

Dr Nic · 06-10-2013 02:25AM

17 hours in. No break yet. I suppose this is a kind of a break while im awaiting med reg to call me back about a urosepsis with aki. Madness all around. Only 10 little hours left...

Missyelliot2 · 06-10-2013 02:50AM

Was in SouthDoc today...due to a threatened appendicitis . Fairly scary as was the ONLY non-medical card patient in the space of 1 hour. No idea how the doctors can work - there is zero money coming in, if so many are on medical cards. The knock-on effect is chaos and awful conditions for our doctors.......so unfair!

Dr Nic · 06-10-2013 08:37AM

3.5 hours to go. Just got 50 mins sleep. Again with another Sickie now awaiting med reg to phone me back. Well its been truly brutal. Very tough call. Id consider myself tough enough but christ I nearly broke tonight

Dr Nic · 06-10-2013 01:56PM

Done. 27 hours of madness with 1 hour 40 rest. 2 rip. 3 arrest. 2 sepsis. 1 hdu admission. 1 upper GI bleed > 400ml all over me. 4 chest pain. 1 heart attack and 1 pe. I'm sure there were more emergencies I can't remember too...
All that with about 300 'small jobs' in between that take 15 mins each

Looking back it wasn't too bad but at about 01:30 this morn I was really really struggling.

Now to pretend to not be tired at a family function so my ma and da don't worry about me.

That is call in a 400 bed hospital in ireland

TheGoldenAges · 06-10-2013 02:01PM

When I was in hospital in America for a short bit, doctors would have 4 days a week of 12 hour shifts, can't understand why that can't be the norm here.

take everything · 06-10-2013 02:51PM

Dr Nic wrote: »

Done. 27 hours of madness with 1 hour 40 rest. 2 rip. 3 arrest. 2 sepsis. 1 hdu admission. 1 upper GI bleed > 400ml all over me. 4 chest pain. 1 heart attack and 1 pe. I'm sure there were more emergencies I can't remember too...
All that with about 300 'small jobs' in between that take 15 mins each

Looking back it wasn't too bad but at about 01:30 this morn I was really really struggling.

Now to pretend to not be tired at a family function so my ma and da don't worry about me.

That is call in a 400 bed hospital in ireland

Where you working (if you don't want to say that's fine

). RIPs/Arrests/MIs/PEs/Gi bleeds. Jaysus, that sounds like a particularly bad night.

take everything · 06-10-2013 02:58PM

Also, incidentally, the IMO have "parked" their external review of McNiece because of...

financial reasons.
Ba dum tsh.

And that's not a Savage Eye sketch.

P_1 · 06-10-2013 03:04PM

Dr Nic wrote: »

Done. 27 hours of madness with 1 hour 40 rest. 2 rip. 3 arrest. 2 sepsis. 1 hdu admission. 1 upper GI bleed > 400ml all over me. 4 chest pain. 1 heart attack and 1 pe. I'm sure there were more emergencies I can't remember too...
All that with about 300 'small jobs' in between that take 15 mins each

Looking back it wasn't too bad but at about 01:30 this morn I was really really struggling.

Now to pretend to not be tired at a family function so my ma and da don't worry about me.

That is call in a 400 bed hospital in ireland

Facking hell, hope you're ok after all that. Those shifts are a danger on both your good self and the patients who you have to look after.

It's bloody ridiculous, a truck driver has to comply with maximum shift times as would a pilot, both for understandable reasons of public safety, but yet a junior doctor, who would arguably have a greater impact on public safery doesn't.

Henwin · 06-10-2013 03:31PM

i cant understand why there isnt 3, 8-hour shifts. does tat not make more sense, pay them gud for those 8 hours and there will be no overtime.

stumfit · 06-10-2013 03:41PM

Henwin wrote: »

i cant understand why there isnt 3, 8-hour shifts. does tat not make more sense, pay them gud for those 8 hours and there will be no overtime.

there arent enough doctors for 3 x 8 hour shifts

Seaneh · 06-10-2013 03:59PM

stumfit wrote: »

there arent enough doctors for 3 x 8 hour shifts

There are more than enough graduates, the freeze on hiring is idiocy.

Paying more doctors regular rate instead of having fewer doctors and paying them over time would be a lot cheaper.

shedweller · 06-10-2013 05:59PM

Seaneh wrote: »

There are more than enough graduates, the freeze on hiring is idiocy.

Paying more doctors regular rate instead of having fewer doctors and paying them over time would be a lot cheaper.

And not against the law!

Miss Lockhart · 06-10-2013 06:39PM

I fully support these doctors and hope they don't back down on this. How anyone could support the status quo is beyond me - basic worker's rights are being ignored wholesale here.

Not to mention that as a patient (whose appointment this week will be affected by this) I feel I deserve a hell of a lot better than what can be provided by dangerously exhausted doctors.)

cuana · 06-10-2013 06:40PM

Too right they should go on strike!! I work in average of 48 hours a week & by the end of it I can barely string a sentence together, its no secret that a good night sleep is good for us what makes a doctor any different.

I'm sure they'd be more equipped to make better decisions on behalf of a patient welfare. They also deserve to have some personal time! It has to be better for there health, their welfare we all know what lack of sleep does to us

It shouldn't come down to the fact that they have to strike their employer is breaking the law they are entitled to proper rest periods.

Rosier · 06-10-2013 09:53PM

OK; so what about the patients,, the ones in the beds too ill to cope,,,the ones these drs get highly paid to care for... This is blackmail.

What will the drs be doing on that day? Sleeping or campaigning?

I have no sympathy frankly as this will achieve nothing and with a life career ahead is not going to help them in the future.

Interesting to see posts from drs who should be resting...

Interesting too and unprofessional that they are telling PATIENTS how badly off they are.

This is not the way forward,

Turtwig · 06-10-2013 10:14PM

Rosier wrote: »

OK; so what about the patients,, the ones in the beds too ill to cope,,,the ones these drs get highly paid to care for... This is blackmail.

What will the drs be doing on that day? Sleeping or campaigning?

I have no sympathy frankly as this will achieve nothing and with a life career ahead is not going to help them in the future.

Interesting to see posts from drs who should be resting...

Interesting too and unprofessional that they are telling PATIENTS how badly off they are.

This is not the way forward,

As a patient I'd rather have a doctor who's hasn't got blood dripping out of their eyeballs treating me. Their working conditions are atrocious and there's no way anyone can really claim otherwise. This isn't blackmail, it's just looking for a bit of fair basic working conditions. Working conditions that any working person should expect and get when they're working.

Miss Lockhart · 06-10-2013 10:20PM

Rosier wrote: »

OK; so what about the patients,, the ones in the beds too ill to cope,,,the ones these drs get highly paid to care for... This is blackmail.

What will the drs be doing on that day? Sleeping or campaigning?

I have no sympathy frankly as this will achieve nothing and with a life career ahead is not going to help them in the future.

Interesting to see posts from drs who should be resting...

Interesting too and unprofessional that they are telling PATIENTS how badly off they are.

This is not the way forward,

As a patient I absolutely support this strike and only wish to they would seize the opportunity to sort this out properly once and for all instead of settling for what is still unacceptable working hours imo. Views like yours astound me.

Caledonia · 06-10-2013 10:49PM

Rosier wrote: »

OK; so what about the patients,, the ones in the beds too ill to cope,,,the ones these drs get highly paid to care for... This is blackmail.

What will the drs be doing on that day? Sleeping or campaigning?

I have no sympathy frankly as this will achieve nothing and with a life career ahead is not going to help them in the future.

Interesting to see posts from drs who should be resting...

Interesting too and unprofessional that they are telling PATIENTS how badly off they are.

This is not the way forward,

We are losing doctors- who we badly need -from hospital medicine and from the country because of the status quo.
This campaign has been quite successful in changing the public's attitude.
They didn't know the load these doctors were taking.
With a zero rate of sick leave in spite of these hours.
People I think have started to see the real value of our hospital doctors.

polydactyl · 06-10-2013 11:08PM

Rosier wrote: »

OK; so what about the patients,, the ones in the beds too ill to cope,,,the ones these drs get highly paid to care for... This is blackmail.

The cover that is available in the hospital on Tuesday will be a little more than is available in Every hospital EVERY Sunday. So the sick inpatients will be no worse off than they will be this Sunday. In fact they will be better off as the Consultants will be in house and they are never in on Sundays. Please inform yourself before you comment.Highly paid? An intern gets 30257 before tax. Not as high as you think.

Rosier wrote: »

What will the drs be doing on that day? Sleeping or campaigning?

Stupid question that does not deserve an answer.

Rosier wrote: »

I have no sympathy frankly as this will achieve nothing and with a life career ahead is not going to help them in the future.

So no jobs should have rules? Employers should be able to exploit anyone cause its their career path?

Rosier wrote: »

Interesting to see posts from drs who should be resting...

Actually when I posted I was walking down a very long corridor going from reviewing one patient to another. I doubt it would look professional if I had just laid down on the corridor and rested. I am a human I can walk and post at the same time...its called multitasking something I do every day.

Rosier wrote: »

Interesting too and unprofessional that they are telling PATIENTS how badly off they are.

Aww do you want me to pretend that when I can't help yawning when I ask a patient a question that its just because they are boring or because I was out partying all night istead of saying sorry I have been awake for 23 hours...luckily most adults dont need the protection you seem to need.

Rosier wrote: »

This is not the way forward,

So what is?

polydactyl · 07-10-2013 11:35PM

Can I just say here that please dont believe the HSE spin. The doctors are only looking for sanctions to ensure the HSE live up to their promise. They cannot be trusted to do things just cause they say as we all know. Infact most doctors I know are happy for the sanctions to be money paid to charity or research no them. Unfortunately financial sanctions are the onyl way to ensure the HSE sticks to their word and the only type of sanction that can be monitored.

Also there are other unresolved issues but the HSE keep their campaign of lies going.

Annabella1 · 08-10-2013 11:55PM

Fully support the NCHD's

The one consequence that probably will happen is that the 24hr A+E Depts in smaller hospitals will close and will probably only be open during daytime.Emergency medicine will be centralised with a bulked up ambulance service.
This is an absolute nightmare scenario for the Government ahead of the Elections next year as feelings run high when small A+E Depts are threatened.The simple fact is if NCHD's are successful there will be no docs to staff them

JustAThought · 09-10-2013 12:03AM

Exhausted exploited catastrophically overworked doctors abused by HSE - that puts us all at risk as patients. Where are the human rights protectors & health & safety HSE touts when they need them?
I'm alL for supporting them - it's a national disgrace. it wouldn't be allowed to happen to McDonald's workers .

eeeee · 09-10-2013 12:38AM

I fully support the strike. You can't drive a lorry for more than 6 hours, or 2 10 hour shifts a week, but you can work 72 hour shifts as a doctor?
That just makes no logical sense!

It's a ridiculous system and needs changing.

Also quite a high proportion of med grads are leaving Ireland to intern abroad cos of ****e pay and conditions in Ireland. Surely something can be worked out?