Coffee ban for Leicester hospitals

During the working day there’s nothing better in our opinion than grabbing a great cup of coffee and then attacking our remaining tasks head on. We don’t believe it is a right to enjoy a hot beverage on occasions during the hours of 9am-5pm, but we believe it is a wonderful tool to aid efficiency.

Unfortunately, it appears that staff at a number of Leicester hospitals will no longer be allowed to sip on a cappuccino or brew a cup of tea whilst on the job.

Medics and a other staff based at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester General Hospital and Glenfield General Hospital have all been banned from having a hot drink in outpatient reception areas in fear that they are deemed to be ‘lazy’.

This move has apparently come into force after management received some complaints.

“Clearly this activity has given the wrong impression to staff and the public that clinic staff are not working as hard as they might be,” said Michelle Scowen, the matron for clinical support and imagine.

Scowen’s statement, which was sent to employees of the three UK clinics, also stated that:

“Members of the public are frustrated by long waiting times [for] appointments and are inflamed by seeing members of staff enjoying hot and cold drinks at reception desks.

“Our priority must be to ensure we are not compromising our high standards by presenting a poor impression to the public.”

Rather unsurprisingly, this ban of having a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate on the job has provoked a certain degree of outrage. One co-ordinator asked:  “What will be next, that we won’t be able to go to the toilet?”

A follow up article penned by a former nurse, published by the local paper the Leicester Mercury, called on management to sort things out.

“NHS management must get their act together,” Lillian Lacaben wrote.

What do you make of this story?

photo: epsos (Flickr, used and web optimised under creative commons)