Out of shape NHS staff are a disgrace.

I had an appointment at the hospital today and as usual there was a 1 hour delay. As I was waiting in the seating area I couldn't help but observe how physically unappealing the NHS staff were - you just had to see it. Fat doctors and nurses alike and scrawny/hunched back physiotherapy people and much much worse. Aren't these people meant to be setting a good example for the public?

There was also a general scruffiness about them. Combing your hair and personal hygiene should be in the job description, eh?

Reply 1

oohlaalaa

Perhaps these people are too busy slaving all the hours under the sun, for not the best pay, to help people like yourself? Who has time to focus well on their own health and well-being when they're too busy working 14.5 hour shifts, walking around and sweating? I'm sure they don't have time to keep going and reapplying the lippy and combing their hair! Stop judging people.

Reply 2

Red one

Original post by oohlaalaa

Nowhere in my post did I mention applying make up. I'm talking about their physical well-being which doesn't look all that good. Arranging your hair in presentable fashion is not really asking for too much either.

How can an overweight doctor tell their similarly out of shape patient to lose weight?

Do as I say not as I do?

Reply 3

Tiger Rag

There could a very good reason why they're the weight they are.

Stop being so judgmental.

Reply 4

russellsteapot

There's no reason why a doctor, nurse or anyone else should be expected to set a good example. If they don't want to follow their own teachings, they're perhaps more silly than a patient who ignores their advice (the more educated you are about the ill-effects of poor health, the more you'd be motivated to avoid them) but I wouldn't say they were a disgrace. My doctor smokes like a chimney but he was still more than helpful in turning me into a nicotine dodger.

If people need 'role models' to tell them to get themselves off their backsides and do some exercise occasionally, they're probably not that motivated in the first place.

As mentioned above, the lifestyle of many healthcare workers can adversely affect their own health (shift work, long hours, probably a lot of crap food) but that's not an 'excuse' for them as such. I just don't believe they should be expected to be bastions of health and clean living. If you don't want to follow a doctor's advice to stop eating 50 cheeseburgers every day because he's fat himself, you're probably using quite peculiar reasoning.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 5

pane123

Original post by OU Student

There could a very good reason why they're the weight they are.

Stop being so judgmental.

Eating too much is not a good reason.

Reply 6

Solemn Rain

Why are you so quick to judge someone's life with one look? You disgust me

Reply 7

Tiger Rag

Original post by pane123

Eating too much is not a good reason.

My mum is overweight due to an underactive thyroid. My dad can eat whatever and however much and not put on weight...

Reply 8

Solemn Rain

Original post by pane123

Eating too much is not a good reason.

What makes you so sure that they are not doing something about it?

Reply 9

moonkatt

Original post by russellsteapot

Was going to post, but would be a duplicate of this.

So OP, yes, it is pretty much a case of do as I say, not as I do. However, the do as I say is for the sake of your own health, not that of the person telling you, it's up to you whether you listen or ignore it based on your own petty prejudices.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 10

DoctorInTraining

Original post by Red one

Whilst I think your original post is worded in a provocative manner - I do agree with your point.

Medical knowledge enables the doctors/nurses/physio/other healthcare professionals to give patients advice about their conditions, explain the pros and cons and suggest potential solutions.

If you know the all this information and still decide against the recommended approach (for example continuing to smoke) then that doesn't make you incompetent - providing you understand the facts.

Most healthcare professionals know the impact of being overweight, smoking, drinking etc but many do so - not because they are unprofessional but because choose to.

I understand your frustration - but what would the solution be?

Fire a world class surgeon just because he has gained a couple of stone in his 40s?
Select medical students based on their waste lines?
Only employ staff with a BMI under 25 and never smoked?

Reply 11

pane123

Original post by kidomo

What makes you so sure that they are not doing something about it?

"Eating too much is not a good reason" in no way suggests that I'm sure they are not doing something about it.

Reply 12

06dwilliams

Often people in healthcare professions are very busy and don't have time to eat properly so snack on unhealthy food and don't excersise as much as they like. I believe majority who are 'fat' are 'fat' due to their job pressures not because they're lazy or stuff their face.

Reply 13

nic-nac

I'd rather have a fat doctor who know what they're doing than a slim doctor who's clueless and nearly ends up killing me. I did find it a bit hypocritical when I saw a nurse, who's much larger than me, who told me to lose weight. But then again, you don't know what they've got wrong with them or what's happened in their personal life to make them fat or turn up looking a bit scruffy.

Reply 14

Red one

Original post by OU Student

There could a very good reason why they're the weight they are.

Stop being so judgmental.

They should know better they're representatives of a health organisation after all.

Original post by russellsteapot

I agree with what you're saying to an extent however regardless of them refusing to accept their role model status when they've signed on the job the responsibility is on them to influence people's choices.

If a fat doctor told me to lose weight for whatever reason I'd be less inclined to follow his advice than if he was in shape.

Reply 15

DoctorInTraining

Original post by OU Student

My mum is overweight due to an underactive thyroid. My dad can eat whatever and however much and not put on weight...

Whilst I am sympathetic to your mum - that's not an excuse.

If she is struggling with her weight she needs to speak to her GP and review her Thyroid Function Tests (TFTs) and medication.
If these values are normal, she needs to review her diet and exercise.

Hypothyroidism is not a reason to be overweight - treatment is available.

Reply 16

The Angry Stoic

While I think doctors should set the example for their patients, no one is perfect.

Don't be so judgmental.

Reply 17

DorianGrayism

Original post by Red one

Well…I see where you are coming from….but

If you need to lose weight because you have Type 2 diabetes, then you need to lose weight.

It is your health at the end of the day. Not listening to him because he is overweight does not really help you.

Actually, if I remember correctly, research shows that overweight doctors are more likely to underestimate weight…..so if an overweight doctor tells you need to lose weight….then it is probably serious.

Reply 18

askew116

Refusing to follow an overweight doctors' advice to lose weight seems like a case of cutting off your nose to spite your face.

They're giving you the advice for your benefit. Also, advice is just that...advice. Whether you follow it or not is up to you, in the same way as it's up to them the lifestyle they lead.