The Daily Mail slagged off NHS workers for taking holidays and being off sick – only 5 responses you need

John Plunkett. Updated January 6th, 2022

As you will no doubt have seen by now, Boris Johnson has declared that the NHS is on a ‘war footing’ as the health service battles to cope with record numbers of Covid cases.

As anyone who knows anything about the NHS won’t need reminding, it had already been at breaking point long before the pandemic.

Except sympathy was in predictably short supply over at the Daily Mail, which took umbrage that some NHS staff appeared to still be taking holidays at this difficult time.

Not only that, it turns out that some of them have also been off sick.

You can read the full story here if you want to but don’t feel compelled, obviously.

Instead, enjoy the only 5 responses you surely need.

Remember when everybody clapped for us and now @MailOnline is giving out that staff are actually taking their own HOLIDAYS? @NHSMillion pic.twitter.com/xweTYk6z5U

— Rach O’Keeffe (@Rachie_H) January 5, 2022

YOU MUST CONTINUE TO WORK DESPITE EXHAUSTION AND EYE BLEEDING BECAUSE WE PAID YOU IN CLAPS YOU INGRATES https://t.co/VKV68E5kGz

— Dr Philip Lee (@drphiliplee1) January 5, 2022

The Mail has now gone from lauding doctors and nurses as "NHS heroes" to berating them for being allowed basic employment rights. pic.twitter.com/I9Ixf4JS0R

— Adam Bienkov (@AdamBienkov) January 5, 2022

I felt guilty for taking my leave but it was exactly the right thing to do and I should never have felt guilty in the first place. This is truly vile but exactly what you expect from the Daily Fail https://t.co/6GIJchpIkR

— Natalie Silvey (@silv24) January 5, 2022

The state of this Daily Fail headline 🤦‍♂️
“Average NHS worker took 14 days sick leave compared to 4 in the private sector”
Akin to
“Average soldier in the frontline shot 14 times compared to none with those doing a desk job” https://t.co/JNQn9RxRUD pic.twitter.com/nPWqL8Kr4i

— 💙Dr C Kanaris MD PhD 🇺🇦(Paedtensivist)💙 (@DrKanaris) January 5, 2022

Even better than those was this thread by @NHSMillion over on Twitter, a ‘grassroots campaign run by NHS staff’ which had this to say.

Um…@DailyMailUK what is this? How we have gone from clapping to telling exhausted staff they shouldn’t take leave?

Let’s set the record straight shall we? 🧵👇🏻(1/9) pic.twitter.com/asw1CLiCti

— NHS Million (@NHSMillion) January 5, 2022

We have a workforce crisis in the NHS. That existed before the pandemic. Why? We have a retention problem. We can’t retain staff because they feel so devalued, are asked to do too much with too little and end up burning out and leaving.

This was pre-pandemic.

(2/9)

— NHS Million 💙 (@NHSMillion) January 5, 2022

Now take those exhausted, burnt out staff and throw them into the pandemic.

They gave everything they had, and made enormous sacrifices to keep people safe. Many got COVID, more than once. Some got seriously ill. Over 1500 NHS workers died.

You clapped for us, remember? (3/9)

— NHS Million 💙 (@NHSMillion) January 5, 2022

Sadly, after battling for many months we lost many dedicated members of NHS staff. They left not because they are selfish, but because they had given all they had to give. They were exhausted, in many cases with their mental health through the floor. Some have PTSD.

(4/9)

— NHS Million 💙 (@NHSMillion) January 5, 2022

So now we are facing this wave with less people. The staff who are left are desperately trying to soldier on. Many were moved onto emergency rotas over Christmas. Many have voluntarily given up their leave. Many have continued to get sick working with COVID patients every day.

— NHS Million 💙 (@NHSMillion) January 5, 2022

What happens to exhausted people who work too many hours, who repeatedly put their patients before themselves? They burn out. They go off sick. They leave. Which is why your suggestion that NHS staff shouldn’t be allowed to take leave is both upsetting and completely backwards.

— NHS Million 💙 (@NHSMillion) January 5, 2022

(Also we are pretty sure it’s also illegal, but you might want to check on that).

(7/9)

— NHS Million 💙 (@NHSMillion) January 5, 2022

So the next time you think about kicking NHS staff whilst they are down, just think about this. If you got into a serious car crash, or your child needed emergency surgery, or your loved one ended up in ICU…(8/9)

— NHS Million 💙 (@NHSMillion) January 5, 2022

…would you want the NHS staff looking you or them to be on the top of their game? Or so exhausted they can’t even remember their own name?

We thought so.

No-one is asking for claps, but we could all do with just a basic level of respect.

Sincerely,

NHS staff everywhere x

— NHS Million 💙 (@NHSMillion) January 5, 2022

To conclude …

This is why the "hero" narrative is fucking poison, and was always going to lead to things like this. Heroes have Solemn Sworn Duties. Greater Callings that they suffer and die for Because It Is Written. Heroes don't get time off. Or get to complain about pay. Heroes are Things. https://t.co/QijjGM0KsU

— Professor Bison Sexhorn (@Brainmage) January 6, 2022

Source Twitter @Rachie_H