NHS staff criticised for dancing

The families of cancer patients who have had their treatment and scans cancelled have criticised NHS staff for posting videos of dance routines in hospitals.

Groups of nurses from wards in London, Buckinghamshire, Leeds and Wolverhampton have created the videos using the TikTok app.

One woman whose brother was treating coronavirus patients in London and sister was performing surgery said she was ‘seriously p***ed off’ by the clips.

The videos were created by various NHS department to lift spirits at a time where morale in many hospitals is low due to increased death rates, a lack of PPE and heightened risk of catching coronavirus among staff. 

While some accused the ‘offensive’ videos of ‘making a mockery’ of the Health Service, others claimed they were providing light relief during a stressful time. 

When the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Trust posted their clip, they stressed that ‘no patients were left uncared for in the making of the video’.  

But some were unimpressed, claiming that they do not go out to clap for them every Thursday in a national show of support for them to ‘prance around dancing’. 

One social media user said: ‘I’m seriously p***ed off seeing NHS staff dancing and fooling around. My brother is working 14-hour days in an ICU in London treating Covid-19 patients.

‘My sister is still performing surgery and is separated from her son. Cancer patients are having treatment and scans cancelled.

‘I’ve seen it from several different hospitals, it’s so disrespectful when there are so many ill and dying. Imagine someone who has just lost a loved one seeing these dumb videos.’ 

While someone else posted: ‘I am not impressed by these endless showreels of nurses dancing about in hospital corridors. Either look after your patients or go and have a sit down.’

Another user commented: ‘There are far too many of these dancing and pratting about clips of NHS staff. 

‘I was led to believe they are run off their feet, and to think thousands maybe millions of people go out and clap for them. 

‘I’m sure they’re working hard, but the timing of dancing clips isn’t really now.’  

Nurses in Leeds also posted a TikTok video of their routine, with many commenters spurring them on and telling them to ‘keep on dancing’. 

But NHS staff at the Tavistock Day Case Theatre in West Devon were forced to apologise after they filmed themselves performing a traditional Maori chant. 

The video shows them doing the native Maori chant Ka Mate with one nurse saying: ‘This is the message we wish to affirm, you’ll never beat us we hate you, you germ.

‘Together we’ll triumph with the strength from within. Mankind will destroy you, mankind will win.’

It was slated online with commenters branding it ‘racist’ and ‘blatant cultural abuse’.   

The NHS trust said in a statement: ‘We want to offer a wholehearted apology to those we offended with a video we posted on Twitter at the weekend.

‘The video was intended as a show of our commitment as Livewell Southwest nurses to continue to work hard and care for people as we fight Coronavirus. Upsetting anyone was the last thing we wanted to do.’  

With ministers still fighting over the PPE crisis in hospitals and care homes, thousands of NHS staff claim they don’t have the right equipment to protect themselves. 

Nurses have also used TikTok to document the lack of PPE, which has been the subject of intense debate among Government ministers and health experts. 

Two paramedics posted a song to the tune of Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey joking about ‘patients coughing on them’ and people thinking they can test them for COVID-19 on the spot.