NHS Staff Sickness

[asfault]

Racehorse said:

What do you mean capability issues?

Time keeping and attendance skills

[Sheepshanks]

asfault said:

Racehorse said:

What do you mean capability issues?

Time keeping and attendance skills

Not sure if that's supposed to be a witty answer, but the correct answer is physical / mental ability to do the job.

[bearman68]

Logistix said:

Consultants have the lowest sickness rate at 1.6%

They and their colleagues have to pick up the pieces if anyone is off sick so there’s a general motivation to keep at work if at all possible.

Remember that when you consider that they’re asking to be paid properly for the work they do which includes nights, weekends, bank holidays etc right up to retirement age.

I’ve had a total of 10 days off sick.

In 20 years as a Consultant

And that was with COVID.

Pfft you're a malingerer. My wife, 30 odd years in now, and a consultant bio medic. Never had a day off at all, ever.

But dear god she's pissed off with the inefficiencies, poor management, lack of plain speak and the like. I think she'll end up retiring in the next year or so, and either working 'bank' (because there's more money in it), or going to do something else completely.

But how can Nurses have 6% sickness, and consultants 1.6%. It speaks of the mindset of both.

[Racehorse]

asfault said:

Racehorse said:

What do you mean capability issues?

Time keeping and attendance skills

I highly doubt many ppl in nhs were let go of this considering how much they abuse the sickness system

[shed driver]

Racehorse said:

asfault said:

Racehorse said:

What do you mean capability issues?

Time keeping and attendance skills

I highly doubt many ppl in nhs were let go of this considering how much they abuse the sickness system

Sometimes time keeping and attendance would be an issue but one of the most common was staff who had sustained back injuries in work and were unable to continue working. Unless there was another post with less lifting, twisting etc then the question "Are you capable of fulfilling your contract?" was asked at the sickness review. A strict timescale was then given and if not able to fulfil their contract they were dismissed.

SD.

[hidetheelephants]

161BMW said:

Use your brain and go on google
68% of men are obese and overweight
60% of women are obese and overweight
I’ll let your brain do the rest. You know the health implications of being overweight and obese. If not they are easy to find out in google.

WTF has that to do with the NHS? People are fat because they eat too much and don't exercise, neither of which is the responsibility of the NHS.

[Franco5]

My partner reports this evening that the same two usual suspects are absent again. One for the next 3 weeks and the other the next 4 weeks however she fully expects these periods to be extended as time moves closer to potential returns to work for the pair.

No accountability, no consequences and the gravy train rolls on for those motivated to exploit the system.

[Sheepshanks]

Franco5 said:

My partner reports this evening that the same two usual suspects are absent again. One for the next 3 weeks and the other the next 4 weeks however she fully expects these periods to be extended as time moves closer to potential returns to work for the pair.

No accountability, no consequences and the gravy train rolls on for those motivated to exploit the system.

Sounds like nonsense - a doctor must be certifying these people, and OT would normally be all over them.

[sjc]

Sheepshanks said:

Franco5 said:

My partner reports this evening that the same two usual suspects are absent again. One for the next 3 weeks and the other the next 4 weeks however she fully expects these periods to be extended as time moves closer to potential returns to work for the pair.

No accountability, no consequences and the gravy train rolls on for those motivated to exploit the system.

Sounds like nonsense - a doctor must be certifying these people, and OT would normally be all over them.

I can assure you that won’t be nonsense. As per my post earlier,I have family working in the NHS who are aware of staff playing the system to the point where they have had 12 level 2 warnings. In fact my partners sister has just been sent in to one department to sort a similar situation out,as the present overpaid incumbents are too lazy and/or scared to sort it out.
It’s an absolute disgrace.

[KAgantua]

sjc said:

Sheepshanks said:

Franco5 said:

My partner reports this evening that the same two usual suspects are absent again. One for the next 3 weeks and the other the next 4 weeks however she fully expects these periods to be extended as time moves closer to potential returns to work for the pair.

No accountability, no consequences and the gravy train rolls on for those motivated to exploit the system.

Sounds like nonsense - a doctor must be certifying these people, and OT would normally be all over them.

I can assure you that won’t be nonsense. As per my post earlier,I have family working in the NHS who are aware of staff playing the system to the point where they have had 12 level 2 warnings. In fact my partners sister has just been sent in to one department to sort a similar situation out,as the present overpaid incumbents are too lazy and/or scared to sort it out.
It’s an absolute disgrace.

I have no idea what a level 2 warning is, but sounds serious!
But how can you get 12 of them???

"Dont do it again, or we will warn you again not to do it again"

[Sheepshanks]

sjc said:

In fact my partners sister has just been sent in to one department to sort a similar situation out,

So it is getting sorted then.

I don't know - we hear loads of these stories as we seem to have lot of family members who work in the public sector: NHS, teaching, Civil Service, Police - and hear just as many stories about staff who are treated unsympathetically.

A friend of my wife's was terminated pretty rapidly from the Civil Service when she got cancer and it was quickly determined that she wouldn't be able to carry on her current job, which involved travelling. Right now a lot of nurses are being turfed out with effects of Covid, and they've long been booted out with back etc problems.

[IJWS15]

Sounds like British Steel in the 70s where they took turns to go off sick.

Needs privatising!

[ZedLeg]

IJWS15 said:

Sounds like British Steel in the 70s where they took turns to go off sick.

Needs privatising!

How would that help?

[Countdown]

sjc said:

I can assure you that won’t be nonsense. As per my post earlier,I have family working in the NHS who are aware of staff playing the system to the point where they have had 12 level 2 warnings. In fact my partners sister has just been sent in to one department to sort a similar situation out,as the present overpaid incumbents are too lazy and/or scared to sort it out.
It’s an absolute disgrace.

Is that one person having 12 warnings or 12 people having one warning each?

Also can I just check what role your partner's sister is in? I assume it must be HR if they're not already within that Department. If that's the case they would have been closely involved in the Absence management process as soon as the miscreants hit the first sickness threshold.

I've always told my team to make sure they make full use of HR. it's hard for Line managers to crack the whip on team members for several reasons (and this applies to both private and public sectors). HR have the skills and experience to make sure the right policies and routes are followed. If anybody is taking the mick successfully then it's not the fault of Ward Managers (whose area of expertise is clinical) it's the fault of HR not ensuring their policies are enforced.

[Countdown]

bearman68 said:

Pfft you're a malingerer. My wife, 30 odd years in now, and a consultant bio medic. Never had a day off at all, ever.

But dear god she's pissed off with the inefficiencies, poor management, lack of plain speak and the like. I think she'll end up retiring in the next year or so, and either working 'bank' (because there's more money in it), or going to do something else completely.

But how can Nurses have 6% sickness, and consultants 1.6%. It speaks of the mindset of both.

I'm not sure what role a Consultant Bio medic is but it sounds quite senior. if that's the case wasn't your wife included within "Management"?

6% isn't that bad considering the work that nurses do and the number of sick people they have to work with. IMHO

[Sheepshanks]

ZedLeg said:

IJWS15 said:

Sounds like British Steel in the 70s where they took turns to go off sick.

Needs privatising!

How would that help?

My Mum worked until retirement in a private company where there were some essential duties and they had a sick rota. She refused to take part in it.

[sjc]

Countdown said:

sjc said:

I can assure you that won’t be nonsense. As per my post earlier,I have family working in the NHS who are aware of staff playing the system to the point where they have had 12 level 2 warnings. In fact my partners sister has just been sent in to one department to sort a similar situation out,as the present overpaid incumbents are too lazy and/or scared to sort it out.
It’s an absolute disgrace.

Is that one person having 12 warnings or 12 people having one warning each?
.

One person,twelve level 2 warnings.

[Countdown]

sjc said:

One person,twelve level 2 warnings.

So where were HR?

Also, what time period was this over?

Also (and apologies it's decades since i worked in the NHS) IIRC you don't get a warning as such, you hit a threshold. If somebody has a chronic condition then it's not impossible that they hit the threshold 12 times if they've been with their Employer for 10 to 15 years.

Edited by Countdown on Thursday 13th July 11:04

[Countdown]

ZedLeg said:

IJWS15 said:

Sounds like British Steel in the 70s where they took turns to go off sick.

Needs privatising!

How would that help?

You only need to look at the current state of British Steel to see what an overwhelming success privatisation has been.

[Ruskie]

asfault said:

ZedLeg said:

asfault said:

Deep Thought said:

Countdown said:

I think the average absence rate is 5%.

I had a quick google there and the average absence rate across the entire UK workforce is 2.6%

Average absence in the NHS seems to be around what you say, at 5%.

However it varies greatly by role.

Ambulance staff and ambulance support roles its as high as 8.9%. Commissioning support units as low as 2.8%.

I can accept and rightly so that there is a higher absence than average as you or I can go into our office and smit people and it doesn't matter.
Ambulance staff I can't understand though being ao high

It’s a stressful job, possibly burning people out? Also one of the more physically demanding jobs. Which can lead to injuries.

I get its probably more physical ie only 2 of you to lift someone etc but i would have thought in the hospital would be much more stressful than the initial first aid and travel time/ keeping the patient going until they get to hospital to be handed over.

There are so many variables that few other jobs can match. There is a large amount of physical injuries. You lift in awkward compromised places because there is no other option. Then add in environmental risks, working in the dark, trip hazards, tiny cottages, crashed cars, and so on. Then there is the mental trauma. If you hang around enough, you accumulate so much PTSD it's hard to function on a day to day basis and it never goes, it never really goes.