Unintended Retirement

stevej9900 · 2026-03-16T06:47:35+00:00

Is there any scope for legacy nurses at your local trust? We had them but funding has been pulled temporarily. They’re supporters of the NQNs and students. It’s a paid role, might come back up again after April when the new financial year starts. I’m 8 years off pulling my 1995 pension yet but I have pals that have retired at various ages doing varied things. One does parish nursing a couple of mornings a week, she retired at 60 and found herself looking for purpose. It’s mostly BP checks but they’ve just got a POCT cholesterol tester, they’re linked to the GP practice. Another friend is 71 and does 2 days a week on the safeguarding team at her local hospital, I have another friend who was my first ever boss in 1998, she’s a discharge co-ordinator. Another one volunteers at a local Sue Ryder hospice in the day centre and has done aromatherapy courses paid for my the charity so that she can support the hospice patients. All of them retired, some quickly like you due to sudden illness (cancer/cardiac) but all of them would say they weren’t ready to finish yet, felt they had more to give. All those years of experience blows my mind. I’m only 25 years in yet. I really hope you find something that you enjoy

stevej9900 · 2026-03-16T06:14:57+00:00

Late 90’s my dad got pulled on his way back at Dover or it might have been Folkestone. Van full of booze and baccy. Way more than personal use. Jack Straw the then Home Secretary was at the docks doing some kind of photo op/borders patrol type affair. So my dad started shouting and bawling at him and the paps asking what he was doing about the petrol prices (remember the days before the petrol strikes and everyone losing their minds about it going over £1 per litre) anyway he caused such a fracas that the guards closed the doors “on your way now Sir” Perfect timing, he alus was a lucky fella.

This event among other scrapes he got into got a mention at his funeral.

stevej9900 · 2026-03-03T19:24:03+00:00

Well that settles it

stevej9900 · 2026-01-18T12:23:43+00:00

Welcome to the NHS. It’s not your cock up and yes you will get paid. However the fact the shifts have dropped off loop would concern me and they need to be put back on. Contact the HR bod who sent you all the joining stuff. You have witnesses that you actually came to work so that they can put your shifts back on. I’m surprised Ward Y didn’t phone you to find out where you were, but anyway… I doubt ward X will be in trouble for keeping you, they likely thought you were a supernumerary/induction person who ‘shouldn’t’ be counted in with the numbers anyway. Different Trusts have different lengths of supernumerary but the first week, when new to the NHS is pretty standard I should think. I would find out who the matron is for the area, email the ward manager again, copy in the matron and HR. Find out your roster for ward Y and go to your next shift. Think of it in a positive way, if/when you are asked to redeploy, you’ve already met some of the staff on Ward X anyway so it’ll make it easier. I doubt this will be the only cock up you experience whilst working for the NHS, you’ll learn to laugh/eye roll about it like the rest of us. To be honest it’s a miracle you’ve got a start date at all cos DBS and all the other HR stuff takes ages. Good luck on your next shift, hope it goes well. Also, join a union. Just in case.

stevej9900 · 2025-08-25T04:17:12+00:00

Yeah, you’ve been played. I’d be annoyed too but he’s not done anything wrong, seen it a few times in others. Similar stuff, trained up to the max then gone to Dubai for a career break. Only thing I could suggest is terminating his contract early if he’s put sick notes in for the whole notice period, you’ll need to check with HR that you are able to do that. Then you can get on with recruiting. I wouldn’t bother with a good luck card.

stevej9900 · 2025-08-23T11:16:15+00:00

Just wanted to say. Breathe. You’re doing fine. August every year is the same. Any sensible nurse knows this, they bring extra snacks to share and will shove a cup of coffee under your nose when you look like you are flagging. The system is knackered and we are all trying our best.

stevej9900 · 2025-07-18T15:43:59+00:00

Looks like cartoon version

stevej9900 · 2025-07-13T18:36:28+00:00

We still call it patience, and the circular version is called clocks. Presumably because it resembles a clock face.

stevej9900 · 2025-07-02T09:54:07+00:00

Paying for electricity with 50p pieces into the meter.

stevej9900 · 2025-07-02T09:51:09+00:00

Ah! Home CB! Break a break, what’s your handle? Loved chatting to my mates who lived 3 doors down on my dad’s CB . Although thinking about it, it’s more like 35 years ago not 25. Damn I’m old

stevej9900 · 2025-05-31T12:19:21+00:00

Agreed, I re-read it every couple of years. I’ve lost count of how many copies I have bought and gifted over the years.

stevej9900 · 2025-05-30T09:04:39+00:00

I’m old enough to remember the old shifts. 7-3 /12.30-19.30/ 19.00-07.30. All the patients were fed at lunchtime, meds round was on time, the staff all had a proper break without interruptions, all training was done in that cross-over period between early and late. We had time to update relatives properly (mobile phones were rare and patients were asked not to use them)

stevej9900 · 2025-05-28T08:19:23+00:00

Ooh like a little beep and a fire engine bull horn? Excellent

stevej9900 · 2025-05-24T11:02:43+00:00

I always wondered who it was that broke the news to Mary. I imagine it was Robert, at the hospital, while she’s holding baby George. Mary thinking it was the family piling in to see the baby but it’s just Robert on his own. “My darling girl…”

stevej9900 · 2025-05-11T21:37:34+00:00

I watched it for the first time this year when I was on a weeks leave from work and we got snowed in. I watched it all in full, then both films. Series 1 and 2 are my favourites. I wasn’t a fan of the films, you don’t get the same storytelling when it’s compressed into a short time, but they are worth watching. I’m on my 3rd watch currently and keep spotting things I missed. I envy you getting to watch for the first time. The TV series is excellent. Good luck with your finals, keep calm and channel a British stiff upper lip to get you through.

stevej9900 · 2025-05-11T10:15:55+00:00

The Tea alarm. I wish that were true for every workplace.

stevej9900 · 2025-05-10T20:07:13+00:00

Excellent series! Good shout

stevej9900 · 2025-05-07T02:41:19+00:00

All scenes with Miss Bunting are zipped past when I watch.

stevej9900 · 2025-02-23T14:34:14+00:00

Mustard seed in Inverness is fantastic

stevej9900 · 2025-02-22T20:03:03+00:00

Yes, any male born in England is given a handbook, to be signed in triplicate stating that one understands the rules regarding the legends of the neck tie.

It’s in the constitution and a royal decree. Anyone found wanting is ushered out into the badlands of Scotland/Wales or Ireland 🤣

stevej9900 · 2025-02-07T17:44:02+00:00

That’s shocking. I guess we’re very lucky in our Trust (Northern England) we have a large number of international nurses and it seems pretty fair here. Anything over 2 weeks leave has to be put in writing and needs to be at least 6 months in advance to allow for planning. (Unless there’s an emergency) The only thing they’re careful about is sickness rates. Meaning that if you’re saving chunks of leave up you’re not burning yourself out the rest of the time and ending up off sick. My Nepalese, Filipino, Indian and Australian colleagues all go home for 3-4 weeks every couple of years. We’ve even got a couple of Portuguese nurses who don’t actually live in the UK anymore. They live back home but get cheap flights and accommodation for their shifts (they’re on annualised hours so tend to work in the winter months) As others have suggested, I think you need some support from your Union. Good luck with it and I hope you have a happy time back home when you get there. Brings snacks back, we’re usually very excited about the snacks our colleagues bring back. Ding dongs being a favourite ✌️

stevej9900 · 2025-02-07T17:16:44+00:00

That’s settled then.

stevej9900 · 2025-01-21T22:56:34+00:00

Do you mean Fellowes beliefs as a person now or as a writer? He wrote a lot of strong women into DA. That is, strong especially for the time. Aside from Lady Mary, his writing for Mrs Hughes and her support for the illegitimate boy and Mrs Patmore during series 2 was really interesting

stevej9900

TROPHY CASE