TV crews on Covid wards - is it OK

Callistemon
It was not directed at any one poster.

“are toiling under.”

I haven’t read all the posts but I must point out that distressing as the scenes were from Kettering Hospital’s ICU last evening on ITV, the newscaster beforehand was at great pains to say that the hospital itself had invited the cameras in. If the hospital wants this sort of publicity, then it wouldn’t be done lightly - there must be a reason, and I suspect it’s to ram the message hard and brutally to those who still believe it won’t happen to them, and also for the public at large to see what conditions the medical staff war toiling under. Those PPI suits must be so hot and uncomfortable, people really do need to see the grim reality of it all. I was horrified.

They should NOT be allowed in as they are getting in the way of healthcare professionals, and all they want is a good story. Journalists like to exploit people and see people in tears as it makes good viewing. Journalists make a fortune out of people's misfortunes!

I tend to agree with those who say the public needs to see the reality of this virus.

I have not yet seen a face of an unconscious ITU patient. I have only seen faces blurred out. The patients they interview will have given their permission.

I have mixed feelings about the interviews with distressed, grieving relatives. If it does help to bring home the seriousness of the emergency then that’s fine., although I do wonder if there are too many of these interviews. They might help to reduce the ‘it won’t happen to me’ attitude though.

seekerfor life
We need information but is filming a persons grief at the loss of a loved one necessary.Figures are enough for me as to how deadly this virus is. I do not need pictures to show me. I needed pictures as a child but soon learned to read. We are given enough information as to what we should /should not do Our NHS is the best, we know they are laying down their lives for others that surely says it all. without the drama of tv.

The big picture is the news has reported from alot of frontlines arround the world and have taken the viewer to lots of makeshift hospitals. This is an invisible war and will remain that way until a vaccine is sorted. So how can it view us in a different light when some countries have been at/ are at war and we have seen their maimed or injured or worse. NHS may be struggling but we are lucky to have them and maybe the news company have to contribute before being allowed in!

My Brother was admitted to hospital Friday 3rd April, he went off in an ambulance on his own and we have not seen him since. We have accepted this, to allow the ICU to care for him and others, we have daily updates , full of hope some times and despair others. His Daughter received a call to say 'his time had come' but was unable to speak to him, Then received a call he was to go on a ventilator .... she was allowed to speak to him for 5 minutes .........
We need to see what happens in icu to understand the reality People NEED TO STAY HOME AND STAY SAFE THIS IS REAL..

Privacy and dignity was always at the forefront of my nurse training which is why we disliked relatives using mobile phones on the ward.
We don’t need journalists to show us the pain and suffering of patients or how hard the hospital staff are working, we know!
The hospital trust may have invited them in, but I wonder if consent was given by the most important people, the patients.

Someone I know was filmed in the ICU. Told about it in advance and face blurred out. I was reassured seeing how well the patients were being treated and the dedication of the staff. Not expected to live, but thankfully on a ward now.

I LOST my daughter 2+ years ago too, Georgia.
I'm sorry for your LOSS.

No they should not be allowed in, we have all seen this now and its awful to see, but there is a limit, I too would have refused to let them in if I was a ward Sister there.They are in the way disturbing staff and patients alike.What about personal integrety, have they thought about that.

If it hadn't been for the few reporters who were able to get into Italian hospitals, and let's be clear - they went in at the specific request of doctors to show the world what they were dealing with - we would never have known what fate awaited us. Reporting on Wuhan was severely restricted as was the outcoming news and IF that had not been the case we would all have been able to prepare much better. The general public has a right to know what's going on in the wards, how people are treated etc., and to suggest that reporters make a difference to the availability of PPE is missing the point - if there were no public outcry, journalists putting the case forward for PPE and relentlessly asking the government questions, we'd be a lot further from providing our frontline workers with what they need than we are now.

So sorry to hear that Twig14. How awful that must have been for you ?

Yes please, how do I change my user name?

I agree with you. I wasn’t allowed in to see my father when dying with Coronorvirus in fact I ssid my goodbyes on Easter Sunday via a laptop. The two nurses with him all dressed in protective clothing both broke down and cried with me. Until this virus hits hour doorstep then you understand how serious this situation is

Well said GabriellaG54 couldn't agree more

If using the word lost helps georgia101 then I don't think she should be criticised for it.

It must be so hard for you, georgia.

Lost? Passed? The word is 'died'.
Why is it so difficult to use the correct word? Does using a euphemism negate the reality?

The people who need to get the message will not be the people who are watching this type of programme, nor the news.

at this point in time, i think we can do without ALL of the journalists! opinions, suppositions, predictions, inane 'gotcha' questions. just the facts, please. no we do not need to see inside hospital wards. i will take the medical professionals' words for it. rant over.

The thing is, we now know what it's like to be in the intensive care units, so we don't need tv crews to go in there repeatedly. We haven't got such short memories that we need to be shown it night after night. I'm also exasperated by the stories of people that have died, which we've seen before. Yes, it's tragic that so many people have died, but it must be very hard for families and friends of these people to not be able to watch tv without having their loved ones stories and pictures thrown up again and again. I lost my daughter two years ago and if I see her picture unexpectedly appear on social media, it always gives me a jolt and upsets me. This sort of media attention is cruel and unnecessary after the first day or two.

Hetty58...
always gives a no nonsense view. This is real life and we need to know that as many people as possible see and hear about it. No good pretending you know about it from a 5 minute news snippet that you switch off because it upsets you to see ill patients or read the numbers.
Far too many people stick their collective heads in the sand or ignore rules that, if broken, could impact the lives of you or your family .
I agree with every word Hetty58 wote and possibly most of her posts.
The truth may be bitter. Better that than living in la-la land.

Before I watched the news items from an ITU I had no idea how bad it could be. At that time, admittedly a couple of weeks ago, it seemed you either had a mild case or a week or so of bad symptoms then recovered.

Even though I consider myself well informed on a lot of things, actually seeing inside an ITU was an eye opener for me and I hope for a lot of other people.

The patients have no say in the matter.