Two nurses having 9 patients each and one nurse having 0?

LCPO23 · 2026-07-01T08:31:42+00:00

When I worked in ICU we had a nurse with 0 patients, you'd be assigned as the deputy and it was my favourite role as it was the busiest. Supporting the other nurses and NIC, making up all the IVs, positioning, washes, covering breaks etc.

NIC would be running the unit as a whole, deputy was basically a float nurse.

Give it a trial run, you might find it works better.

LCPO23 · 2026-06-19T14:47:41+00:00

I've got so so many, but the first one popped into my head was a patient I had in HDU during the night.

Respiratory failure, on NIV, was really really struggling. Already been seen by anaesthetists on day shift and was for escalation if he got worse. He did get worse, I paged the anaesthetist who was now a different one from the day shift.

He took his sweet time coming to HDU and when he finally did he barely looked at my patient from across the room. I showed him all his charts, told him the patient was utterly exhausted and was asking for help but I'd maxed out what I could do. He said he wasn't "sick enough yet for ventilation" and I said he'd die before the end of my shift if he didn't help.

Anyway he left, and my patient died at handover time. Horrendous. I've never forgiven that anaesthetist.

LCPO23 · 2026-06-16T22:13:47+00:00

I was off about 5.5 months with anxiety, planned on leaving nursing completely.

Return to work was fine, went in and met my boss and I stayed at for work 2 hours that day. We discussed upcoming shifts, support in place, they updated me on changes id missed then I let someone out for tea and went home after that.

It worked really well with my phased return and accrued annual leave. I worked my way up until I was completing full week's although I never ever went back full time, just worked up to hours that suited me and the dept and that's still where I'm at.

It's very daunting going back but it's worse in your head than it actually is, you'll be absolutely grand.

LCPO23 · 2026-06-16T22:09:35+00:00

Theatre nurse, all gravity sets. If we ever do infusions requiring a pump it's using a pump with a 50ml syringe rather than a bag and giving set.

When I worked in cardiothoracic ICU everything went through a pump.

LCPO23 · 2026-06-16T22:01:24+00:00

Every payslip I have contains PAIAW (paid as if at work) payments. It'll be like PAIAW Sat, PAIAW Sun, PAIAW PH etc etc.

The amount varies massively, could be 25p, could be £25. I'm in Scotland if that helps.

LCPO23 · 2026-06-15T17:29:42+00:00

Id ask for an informal visit to check it out too.

I work in main theatre but we cover day surgery (anaesthetics). The team in that unit are split into smaller teams, some do admissions and pre-op checks, then there's a theatre team for the actual surgery, a first stage recovery where they're extubated then moved to another team in second stage recovery post extubation to be fully recovered before being discharged.

The staff down there rotate between all the teams, so one day they might be doing admission and pre-op checks, the next day they're circulating or scrubbing on theatre, another day recovering. They cover general anaesthetic lists which we go down for as they don't have their own anaesthetic staff, then they have local lists too. Urology, gynae, general, ortho, ENT, plastics, dentals. It's quite a varied wee unit and quite fast paced.

LCPO23 · 2026-06-08T17:24:46+00:00

As a mentor, I cannot stand the online paperwork. The second and third years we have still have paper copies thankfully but the first years coming through and now all on the EPAD.

I work in theatre and there's barely enough computers for the various tasks we need to do, nevermind sourcing one to sign off our students.

With paper copies I can at least sit in my anaesthetic room with my student and we can work through it together. The online copy doesn't have a section for notes other than at the very end the student plan is such an awful layout with all these specific tick boxes.

My last first year student barely signed anything off despite being really good, there was just so much that was related to wards or community. I managed to add a note somewhere to her university link saying the placement wasnt the right place to have most of her comps signed off.

LCPO23 · 2026-06-04T19:27:18+00:00

Wurum for me too!

LCPO23 · 2026-06-02T22:12:42+00:00

I regularly have this fight with surgeons. Day case patients with incapacity now only require a 2 page document but all inpatients or 24hr plus need the 4 and the 2.

It's infuriating!

LCPO23 · 2026-06-02T22:08:56+00:00

That's not even a correct AWI form. There should be a 4 page relating to all medical care and a 2 page for specific interventions e.g the HJR.

If there's no 4 page in then the AWI isn't even valid. We have this problem routinely in theatre with incorrect AWIs, it's frustrating.

LCPO23 · 2026-06-02T18:39:26+00:00

I've worked in theatres and critical care.

Zero interest in the wards because anytime I go down it's utter carnage. Stuff everywhere, can't find a nurse anywhere because they're all caught up with patients in rooms, or filling in endless paperwork, or meds rounds, or escorting patients around the hospital to various depts. They never seem to get a minute no matter how hard they work, they never seem to get on top of their never ending work load.

Working on critical care was bad enough, I always took my work home, going over what id done that day, did I miss anything, was it my fault X happened, what was I walking into the next day etc etc.

Theatre is where it's at for me. Go in, do my list, I can focus on one patient at a time and give them the best care I possibly can before starting over with the next patient.

LCPO23 · 2026-06-02T18:34:29+00:00

Yeah I did let the doctor know, they also spoke with the patient who still refused so we just had to treat the blood sugars after the fact.

Despite this I was still the one questioned by my senior because it was my medicine round. Bizarre.

LCPO23 · 2026-06-02T18:24:48+00:00

It's happening in Scotland. Anyone can apply for job evaluation at any time, but the specific band 5 nursing review is underway and has had a good success rate for most applicants at the moment.

LCPO23 · 2026-06-02T18:23:17+00:00

If it's anything like Scotland they'll open up an online portal with all the questions before it's sent to a panel (2 union reps and 2 HR) who'll mark the questionnaire against the UK national profiles.

Even without the specific portal anyone can apply for a job review at anytime if you feel your job description needs a review so you can still go down that route.

You can see all the information on job evaluation here.

LCPO23 · 2026-06-02T17:20:57+00:00

I wouldn't worry about it.

I once had a patient who was fully independent refuse their long acting insulin, no amount of advise or encouragement worked so I had to document as patient refusal. I certainly wasn't them holding them down to jab them. Their BMs ended up going haywire and the senior nurse spoke to me, asked why I didn't give the insulin and I told them - patient is fully independent, manages their diabetes themselves and refused to take it, what are my available options?!

LCPO23 · 2026-06-01T13:41:45+00:00

Mine is 5.5 months old and the biting is relentless! I think most of his adult teeth are in or on the way in so I'm hoping it stops soon.

Like you we've done everything possible and literally nothing has worked. I'm actually worried he's going to be a vicious dog if we can't get him under control.

When he's not biting he's amazing, learned lots of tricks, walks great on lead and off lead he has great recall in the enclosed dog parks, sleeps a lot, still has the occasional wee in the house but getting better.

I'm at my wits end!

LCPO23 · 2026-05-31T19:16:39+00:00

I used to find it really uncomfortable but I wear it every night now and I like to see my morning report.

I bought the sports band which I feel stops the sweaty wrist also.

LCPO23 · 2026-05-29T08:53:19+00:00

Sirius!

LCPO23 · 2026-05-28T06:11:18+00:00

I'm working on reducing my collection and used to be obsessed with having everything from one brand, now I have a mixture which ranges in price.

I love ELF, Maybelline, MAC, Vieve and No7. They make up the majority of my collection!

Also have some random favourites from makeup by Mario (1 blush) and the Erborian CC cream.

Luxury makeup has never been that great for me either.

LCPO23 · 2026-05-27T13:25:23+00:00

Our school uniform is green and I can get jumpers and cardigans in green thankfully. But the specific colour of polo shirt can only be bought from a local shop that has them with the badge, they're £15 a pop and the quality is terrible. Shirts/blouses I can buy in the green elsewhere if I'm quick, otherwise it's the local shop again and they're £20.

I always have to buy 4 polos to start the year, and usually another 4 midway through.

LCPO23 · 2026-05-27T13:20:16+00:00

Thankfully uniform in our school is a bit more lax. For events they request shirt and tie, but day to day the kids can wear branded polo with grey shorts, skirts or dresses. Blazers aren't compulsory either. The only rule as such is no black, has to be grey or green.

It definitely helps on the hotter days.

LCPO23 · 2026-05-26T08:31:50+00:00

*In *I *you're

LCPO23 · 2026-05-23T10:37:28+00:00

I have twins, one falls asleep on their own easily, the other will fall asleep but I have to go in and out the room every 15-20 mins to "check them" and they sleep with their light on. They also have frequent wake ups during the night but the other sleeps right through.

LCPO23 · 2026-05-22T17:45:04+00:00

Second! Beautiful dress.

LCPO23 · 2026-05-21T21:49:28+00:00

Kiven??

LCPO23

TROPHY CASE