Easter and holidays.

I happened to ask for my holidays at easter which is nice through I didnt know it was easter. I am not very good at forward planning or ceremonies. Today is good friday the kids are with their boyfriends. When the kids were little we would have a party every birthday for them and Christmas was important but I suppose shift work and my mother who was never into special events and a husband who is anti social means events have dwindled. Also we dont have many friends, invite-home-friends.

 My daughter said her boyfriend in-laws (there should be a word for that) said what do your family do at easter, she said work. People don't know what a disruption shift work is to social lives, you wonder if you tolerate it because you are not very social in the first place or you become anti-social because of it. Friends would say to me can't you come to the party or whatever but to even take sickie meant being abused on the phone by admin. Even my mother refused to ring for me  and a friend got stuck in a phone box listening them telling her off. They wanted you to turn up to the staff clinic so they could send you back to the ward no matter how bad you felt. Even if you were a 100 miles away you were supposed to get there. Training was a very appropriate word for it, training in fear and intimidation and loss of self confidence. 

Nurses still only get 10 sick days a year if they are full time despite working shift work and with sick people and a physical job teachers get way more and police but the union has never got off its lazy a to increase it. Also while I rant: so much for that 1 nurse to 4 patient stuff, thats a slow train never arriving. One of the girls said her boyfriend was working a double shift on a general ward at night. They rang the ADON to say they only had 2 people on 25 sick medical patients she said cut a nurse out of cardboard and put it on a chair she had no one to send. 

Be afraid be very afraid. This system is seriously sick and winter is coming.