Julia,

I just had to reply to your very logical, practical, and articulate response where you seemed to have an answer for everything (and how you would never do anything wrong, nor be ever caught up in a complicated situation like this, unlike the rest of us), and it sounded like have never dealt with any problems in life, and your life is just so perfect and ordered.

The tone of your email sounded patronising and very judgemental; all about how you would never ever do this, or do that (with you at the centre of everything, when life is not always about you).

You mentioned why did the SW not seek staff care? In the 15 + years I have been around; I have never heard of such a thing, and every SW who has been around this industry for any length of time knows that self-care is one of the most neglected and overlooked issues in this field.

The second issue is that SW (unlike you) may not wish to see their GP, especially as the HCPC askes for information for all registrants fitness to practise once every three years via a request for information. As the HCPC is becoming more punitive and punishing of SW each year, most SW do not want to put themselves in that position or take that chance.

It is not so easy as you say for SW who are not coping to just ‘go out and get another job’, as they probably need to pay a mortgage and bills and TESCO wages are not that good.

Also I thought it was quite rude for you to say she should just ‘go and get another job’ as that is not your right to dictate what somebody else should do with their life, and you overlooked the part where it said she had previously been an excellent SW.

If all of us dissatisfied SW who care about our clients, but do not like the conditions we are forced to work under, went out and go another job (like you say); almost all the work force of SW would be gone (and you would be left to do all of the work).

I wondered if you listened to how judgemental you sounded in your email, and how it strikes against the heart of SW, and what your colleagues would say about your attitude and level of support towards others.

Good day to you.

How I wish that there was a “sarcasm” key on the computer, so that everyone reading this could understand just how heavily laden with irony my choice of introductory word to this comment was!

It surprises me very little to see a Social Worker being grilled in this manner (although I do believe that attending work whilst intoxicated is inappropriate, to say the least). My concern is that, had this behaviour come from a MANAGER, then there is every chance that it would have been completely overlooked. I have worked with managers who made offensive comments – both about service-users, and about other staff (including myself) – but who have thought this perfectly “normal” practice. I have also worked with colleagues (mostly long-serving and supposedly experienced) who have done the same. If you want examples of disgusting and insulting practice, go work in Blackpool!

I worked there in a Hospital Discharge, then an Adult Community, Team. The following are quotes made by my manager and colleagues about service-users…

1. “Don’t make work for yourself. You don’t need to bother recording unmet needs”. – comment made by manager in Hospital Discharge Team (erm… actually you are supposed to record unmet needs).

2. “Oh, what are you fussing getting her care for. She’ll only stop it again. She’s not worth it” – comment made by senior Nurse colleague in Hospital Discharge Team (about a service-user who required care in order to be discharged. The service-user had cancelled a care package in the past. Should this be seen as not entitling her to care?).

3. “What are you bothering investigating that for? All elderly patients are confused in hospital.” – comment made by same colleague as above (about a confused service-user whose confusion I investigated and who turned out to have an untreated urinary tract infection).

4. “Yes, he clearly has mental health problems, but there is nothing I can do for him. I can’t take the case. He’s choosing to live like this”. – comment made by a worker in community mental health team who I asked to do a joint assessment with because a service-user was very vulnerable (made about a service-user who had untreated dementia, faced eviction, was a compulsive hoarder, and was clearly emaciated).

5. “Are you like your mother?” – said to me by my manager in the Hospital Discharge Team after I returned to work following a chest infection (my mother is a service-user and has Bipolar Disorder).

6. “Who do you think you are with your qualifications? You think you can just walk into promotion” – said to me by a colleague in the Hospital Discharge Team.

I have also heard staff refusing to work with certain patients (a Nurse in the hospital refused to work with a patient who was known to have a criminal past), and speaking inappropriately to them, calling them things like “love”, “duck”, “mate”, “buddy”, “hen”… The inappropriate sexual banter between staff at the Hospital where I worked was beyond belief. Personally, I do not think it at all acceptable to call colleagues “darling” or “love” – obviously, Nurses and Doctors think differently! At one place where I worked, some of the staff even called me “Bambi”. Not at all sexist!!

Personally, I feel that crass attitudes and behaviours like these tend to start with management, and cascade down. Or, they occur amongst staff because management are lax. Either way, it is for management to set the tone. This didn’t happen where I worked!