[lettie]

If you think you have it bad having to stand behind someone who stinks in a shop then........ Spare a thought for health professionals. Every day, doctors, nurses, midwives, health visitors have to examine the great unwashed in hospitals, surgeries, clinics and their homes.

It is unpleasant to say the least and many of these people are young (age cannot be used to excuse them), unemployed (a hard days graft can't be used as an excuse) and generally healthy (disease can't be used as an excuse). The truth is that some people just can't be arsed to keep clean.

An ex colleague of mine used to tell them to their faces (while I was peeing myself laughing behind the clinic curtains)... She always used to say " I know you don't have much money but that's no excuse for being dirty". "Soap is only 20p at Home and Bargain".

Doing home visits is worse, because the houses smell, not of air freshener, but that same dirty, unwashed smell that is ingrained into their skin and clothing. I kid you not, but I once stood in a mouldy dog turd in someone's house. It was in the bedroom and had obviously been there for weeks. I had to wipe my feet on the way out so that I didn't dirty the street..