The triumphalist attitude of many British workers

[MM]

I had a hernia op yesterday. On arrival at the hospital I was asked a number of pre-op questions by one of the nursing staff. I referred to the leaflet which states that the hospital will be able to organise return transport a day later (I had to stay in overnight due to GA). But the nurse said "No way!" Not on a Saturday. Out of the question. It was the triumphalist way she conveyed this that annoyed me. Anyway, I said nothing.

After the op the staff nurse on the actual ward asked me how I was getting home and again I referred to the note in the leaflet. However, this nurse immediately agreed and said she would organise some hospital transport for me. She couldn't have been more helpful or willing, as were ALL the nurses on the actual ward.

About three hours ago I was brought home and am now recuperating.

Another example of this strange habit some British people have of celebrating someone's misfortune: In a Wilkinson shop the other day I asked whether they had any holdalls. "No, all gone!" she said with glee, as if to say, "Now see where else you're going to get one from!" Not a "Terribly sorry, but we're sold out of them right now, although we should be getting fresh stock in soon."

What IS it with these people? Most people I deal with, even in Tesco, are helpful, polite, forthcoming, but occasionally one meets up with a complete tosser, who, sadly, often is a woman, even though women are supposed to care more.

MM

[Tim Streater]

[snip]

You're lucky not to have got the pursed lips, sucking-in-breath sound and "Not much call for that round here, Squire".

Basil Fawlty is alive and well.

[ARWadsworth]

Only because you just meet more women than men in a hospital and Tescos.

It's the other way around in the building trade.

Get well soon.

[Dom Ostrowski]

It's the jubilation of the workshy that they won't actually have to do anything.

Subsequent to their comment, it's your civic duty to make them run around for something obscure and when you finally prod them all the way through to grudging completion - to tell them you've changed your main.

[Gareth]

I have had similar experiences - the last time I was in hospital I asked for something to be done and was told that it was completely out of the question in a tone which implied that I was stupid to even ask. A few minutes later an older nurse came in and just did it without me having to ask.

Some people are complete tossers and even those that aren't will sometimes be in a bad mood, possibly for very good reasons which you are not aware of.

[fred]

In article , MM writes

Dear dear granddad, wrong group again, or have the threats of garrotting for your off topic rants frightened you away from your usual haunts.

[Andy Cap]

Our next door neighbour has just had a baby. Thought it was arriving at

3:00AM and got a taxi to the hospital - they haven't got a car. On arrival the midwife ??? was asleep at the nurse's station and after a quick check sent her home again, telling her to come in a 9:00AM At 7:30 she's on the kitchen floor close to having the baby and they have to call for an ambulance to return her to the hospital. How can someone on a maternity ward not know a baby is imminently due ? I reckon she just didn't want to be bothered with it on night duty.

Andy C

[Andy Cap]

It's interesting though, how often the OT posts get most responses! ;-)

Andy C

[tony sayer]

In article , Gareth scribeth thus

Yep when I was in hosp a could of years ago there was a lump of steel stuck in my hand apart from all the other grief, none of them apart from a much older lady nurse would touch it she managed to get it out fine with a pair of tweezers but told e not to mention it to anyone there that she did that..

Seems that it wasn't their job to do that sort of thing and the management told them that and not to. Mind you getting a doctor to do it wasn't on the cards their visits were shall we say not all that often;!....

[Dean Heighington]

Thankfully, some people will always want to help others. Unfortunately there will always be people with precariously held positions of authority who's remit seems solely to be to tell them not to!

[jgharston]

My ex-wife is a social worker. She tells me that

actually an ongoing documentary.

JGH

[Derek Geldard]

I don't necessarily regard them as workshy, ISTM for them it's a matter of principal.

There seems to be an all pervading attitude by individuals in institutions like the NHS that they will decide what services are delivered to the patients and when. It is their refuge.

I have several serious health problems and have had a lot of dealings with clinical depts inc A&E.

Having had a collapse 230 miles from home a consultant in A&E at the outset made a point of saying I could look forward to a lot of disruption and delay in getting back home and to work.

It turned out the entire delay was due to waiting for a couple of tests for which there were waiting lists, despite the fact I was a perfectly healthy patient tying up a bed. So 6 days wait for a gastroscopy which was negative so I was then put on the waiting list for a colonoscopy, another 6 days wait result also negative, (the possibility of booking both investigations at the outset had not even been considered). Most people can't work like that.

Then a 3 day wait for the doctor to sign off my discharge, eventually to be discharged at 6-00pm on a Friday (after waiting 2 hours for my medication) after 12 quite unnecessary nights as an in-patient. As a final "Coupe de grace" they told me I must not drive until a diagnosis had been achieved.

They referred me to a department closer to home for further investigations with a radio pill TV camera ... 9 weeks later I had heard nothing and phoned them up. They said "It's OK you've been marked up as urgent". So I asked "What does that mean?" she said we see you sooner than we would have done if you weren't urgent. I said "Well how long would it take to see me if I were not urgent?" and the secretary said 13 weeks.

After 11 weeks I got my appointment to be told they didn't do that particular investigation there, but there was no reason why I could not drive if I wanted.

The cost of my absence to my small company was about 18k in lost business and locum charges.

[Adrian Simpson]

In article , jgharston writes

I used to know someone who was a cebwrpg znatyre for social services and he was of a similar view.

Adrian

[Bob Eager]

I've always thought that applied to many workers in councils.

There are professional exceptions (e.g. BCOs) but the average worker seems to be someone who wasn't good enough to get a job elsewhere. They have a low paid and boring job, and make it bearable by using and abusing any power they have.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

Project2000 is to blame for a lot of that attitude.

[ARWadsworth]

So you never did a job for the council then?

[Brian Gaff]

I often think ts got more to do with how the organisation treats the worker. Its very easy to see the customer as the enemy if the organisation does not apparently value the employee if they try to help a customer.

I see it a lot with services for the disabled since the hang the scroungers campaign bby this morally bancrupt Government. It affects the staff of transport services as they get to feel they are just providing transport for people who don't deserve it sometimes, though those on the front line tend to know better. Brian

[Owain]

I am currently waiting for an explanation of why a missing fire extinguisher in my local council offices has not been replaced.

I reported it 9+ weeks ago.

I'd expect it to be replaced within 24 hours.

I have established that the council had no risk assessment, no record of inspection, and no written record of my report or any subsequent action in respect of the missing extinguisher.

I am confident the managers in the council are not low paid.

Owain

[Bob Eager]

I agree. They are just the managers who couldn't get a job elsewhere!

My elderly mother-in-law had endless problems with her council. They wrote to her saying they hadn't managed to contact her (they'd been round but she didn't hear them, they said). So they decided to come in and basically destroy her entire garden because of an overhanging branch (from one of *their* trees). They constantly ignore perfectly reasonable requests and comments, I am sure because they think they can get away with it. She is 90 years old.

Oh, the reason they couldn't get an answer is that she goes out every day for several hours, to shop and socialise! The DWP (who decided to 'audit' her this week) were disbelieving of the fact that she might actually be out unless they booked it with her.

[Roberts]

Robbie