Job related 'injuries' and sickness record.
Discussion
I'm a bit frustrated to say the least.
My Wife is a nurse in an NHS hospital, about a week ago, she caught Norovirus from a patient, now this is a insanely contagious thing, and no amount of hand gel or gloves will save you - so she's been off sick but returned today, she's returned to a partly segregated ward, in a hospital which has declared an outbreak
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wale...
Her co-workers are trying their best to keep her away from this sick ones, well they're all sick, but you get my meaning because she's pregnant and she's already had it once.
If she's sick again, she would have had 3 incidences of sickness in a given period and will have to start a disciplinary procedure. She's been told it might be a 'tough one' as she faced one about 14 months ago - her ward was under staffed and she hurt herself lifting a patient, whilst this patient hadn't been classified for a two person lift, she was a big old Gal and my Wife ended up with a sciatic injury, and she wasn't swinging the lead - she's not one for crying but she couldn't leave bed for over a week and shook with pain when she moved, even with tramadol meds - I had to shower her and all sorts.
Foolishly She tried to return to work twice, but the pain was too much and she had to come home again and try again the next day.
So, if she gets it again, or indeed anything else between now and may when her maternity leave starts she'll be facing a disciplinary hearing - I'd like to think that it'll start, they'll say "you've had 6 incidences of sickness in two years, what do you have to say for yourself" Wife will say "3 because I hurt my back lifting a patient, one for a bad cold, and 2 because I contracted Norovirus in work" and they'll say nothing but "Sorry, glad to have you back".
/Ramble - but seriously, can you really be held accountable for sickness due to work related stuff?
My Wife is a nurse in an NHS hospital, about a week ago, she caught Norovirus from a patient, now this is a insanely contagious thing, and no amount of hand gel or gloves will save you - so she's been off sick but returned today, she's returned to a partly segregated ward, in a hospital which has declared an outbreak
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wale...
Her co-workers are trying their best to keep her away from this sick ones, well they're all sick, but you get my meaning because she's pregnant and she's already had it once.
If she's sick again, she would have had 3 incidences of sickness in a given period and will have to start a disciplinary procedure. She's been told it might be a 'tough one' as she faced one about 14 months ago - her ward was under staffed and she hurt herself lifting a patient, whilst this patient hadn't been classified for a two person lift, she was a big old Gal and my Wife ended up with a sciatic injury, and she wasn't swinging the lead - she's not one for crying but she couldn't leave bed for over a week and shook with pain when she moved, even with tramadol meds - I had to shower her and all sorts.
Foolishly She tried to return to work twice, but the pain was too much and she had to come home again and try again the next day.
So, if she gets it again, or indeed anything else between now and may when her maternity leave starts she'll be facing a disciplinary hearing - I'd like to think that it'll start, they'll say "you've had 6 incidences of sickness in two years, what do you have to say for yourself" Wife will say "3 because I hurt my back lifting a patient, one for a bad cold, and 2 because I contracted Norovirus in work" and they'll say nothing but "Sorry, glad to have you back".
/Ramble - but seriously, can you really be held accountable for sickness due to work related stuff?
Happened to me several times... and I'm sure it will happen again in my career. I realise that the usual suspects on here will take the opportunity to tell us how they in the private sector never have a day off and come into work with arms and legs hanging off whilst suffering from plague.
She has a duty of care according to her professional code of conduct. There will be policies in place to govern this.
Work with others to protect and promote the health and wellbeing of those in your care, their families and carers, and the wider community.
[b]As a professional, you are personally accountable for actions and omissions in your practice and must always be able to justify your decisions. You must always act lawfully, whether those laws relate to your professional practice or personal life.
Failure to comply with this code may bring your fitness to practise into question and endanger your registration.[/b]
So if she comes in when she knows she is an infection risk to others she could lose her registration, if she stays away as per the policy she can be disciplined and may lose her job. Oh well, she's only another leeching public sector employee.
SD.
She has a duty of care according to her professional code of conduct. There will be policies in place to govern this.
Work with others to protect and promote the health and wellbeing of those in your care, their families and carers, and the wider community.
[b]As a professional, you are personally accountable for actions and omissions in your practice and must always be able to justify your decisions. You must always act lawfully, whether those laws relate to your professional practice or personal life.
Failure to comply with this code may bring your fitness to practise into question and endanger your registration.[/b]
So if she comes in when she knows she is an infection risk to others she could lose her registration, if she stays away as per the policy she can be disciplined and may lose her job. Oh well, she's only another leeching public sector employee.
SD.
ds later. Are you sure it's disciplinary procedures for 3 instances and not simply a level one meeting to investigate if they are related and that they and she are doing all they can to minimise illness?
I've held Level 1 meetings before as I want to ensure my staff are receiving all the support and hardware etc they need to work effectively and to not be detrimental to their health.
As a result of these meetings, some basic things I've done are to provide double ear phone headsets (ours have one) as one girl found the handset louder and was tucking it between her neck and head and giving herself neck ache. Another had lower back problems, we did a DSE but I also obtained a kneeler chair (there's probably a correct term for it) for thee to alternate between that and her normal chair.
Not quite in the same league as your missus, but don't jump to any unecessary conclusions about it being a negative meeting.
I've held Level 1 meetings before as I want to ensure my staff are receiving all the support and hardware etc they need to work effectively and to not be detrimental to their health.
As a result of these meetings, some basic things I've done are to provide double ear phone headsets (ours have one) as one girl found the handset louder and was tucking it between her neck and head and giving herself neck ache. Another had lower back problems, we did a DSE but I also obtained a kneeler chair (there's probably a correct term for it) for thee to alternate between that and her normal chair.
Not quite in the same league as your missus, but don't jump to any unecessary conclusions about it being a negative meeting.
bint said:
Are you sure it's disciplinary procedures for 3 instances and not simply a level one meeting to investigate if they are related and that they and she are doing all they can to minimise illness?
I've held Level 1 meetings before as I want to ensure my staff are receiving all the support and hardware etc they need to work effectively and to not be detrimental to their health.
As a result of these meetings, some basic things I've done are to provide double ear phone headsets (ours have one) as one girl found the handset louder and was tucking it between her neck and head and giving herself neck ache. Another had lower back problems, we did a DSE but I also obtained a kneeler chair (there's probably a correct term for it) for thee to alternate between that and her normal chair.
Not quite in the same league as your missus, but don't jump to any unecessary conclusions about it being a negative meeting.
Unfortunately the NHS is very quick to go down the disciplinary route - some mangers may take the infection control policy into account, others may not.I've held Level 1 meetings before as I want to ensure my staff are receiving all the support and hardware etc they need to work effectively and to not be detrimental to their health.
As a result of these meetings, some basic things I've done are to provide double ear phone headsets (ours have one) as one girl found the handset louder and was tucking it between her neck and head and giving herself neck ache. Another had lower back problems, we did a DSE but I also obtained a kneeler chair (there's probably a correct term for it) for thee to alternate between that and her normal chair.
Not quite in the same league as your missus, but don't jump to any unecessary conclusions about it being a negative meeting.
Is your wife in a union?
SD.
It's not really clear what form this procedure will take, the last one was in fairness pretty informal, and from what she told me 2nd-hand took the form of them taking no action in return for her not complaining about being hurt in work, but all very off-the-record.
Their argument was that even without the patient being classed as a "double-hander" she should have asked for help and that's the end of it as far as they're concerned - Our argument being that if she had done so this patient wouldn't have been washed that day, nor had physiotherapy which would have been a breach of care because they were way, way under what they consider safe staffing levels and there really wasn't anyone to help.
I suspect it was swept under the carpet never to be seen again, but I couldn't be sure.
Another worry is that her ward is brand new, it's a bit of a pet project of some bigwig or other and is the end the result of years of planning and millions and millions of spending, but like most be projects it's got a lot of teething problems - chief being that they simply cannot keep the place staffed, it's being opened at a strict pace as set out in a plan made 3 years ago, but ward managers are reluctant to recruit because of budgets, so when someone leaves (which they are as quickly as they can) they're waiting a month before putting the request in to save a months salary - then they can't get sign-off for it because there's a freeze on, when it finally gets posted no one applies - in 6 months is gained a notorious reputation and Nurses don't want to work there.
Now I've slept on it my priorities have shifted, I know she won't do anything to hurt her or the Baby, she's in the last corner of the ward not infected (it's spread like wildfire in the last few days) - if it covers the whole ward she's coming home - they can do their worst, but one thing's for certain, she's not going back there after maternity leave.
Their argument was that even without the patient being classed as a "double-hander" she should have asked for help and that's the end of it as far as they're concerned - Our argument being that if she had done so this patient wouldn't have been washed that day, nor had physiotherapy which would have been a breach of care because they were way, way under what they consider safe staffing levels and there really wasn't anyone to help.
I suspect it was swept under the carpet never to be seen again, but I couldn't be sure.
Another worry is that her ward is brand new, it's a bit of a pet project of some bigwig or other and is the end the result of years of planning and millions and millions of spending, but like most be projects it's got a lot of teething problems - chief being that they simply cannot keep the place staffed, it's being opened at a strict pace as set out in a plan made 3 years ago, but ward managers are reluctant to recruit because of budgets, so when someone leaves (which they are as quickly as they can) they're waiting a month before putting the request in to save a months salary - then they can't get sign-off for it because there's a freeze on, when it finally gets posted no one applies - in 6 months is gained a notorious reputation and Nurses don't want to work there.
Now I've slept on it my priorities have shifted, I know she won't do anything to hurt her or the Baby, she's in the last corner of the ward not infected (it's spread like wildfire in the last few days) - if it covers the whole ward she's coming home - they can do their worst, but one thing's for certain, she's not going back there after maternity leave.
I've read this again. So your employer has a Duty of care with respect to health and safety of the employee, and is failing to exercise their duty of care. ?
You can't discipline someone who is injured at work for time off. You should feel lucky that they do not sue you for the pain and suffering.
You can't discipline someone who is made ill by the work that she does, and you can't put someone's unborn baby at risk.
It boils my piss.
My wife used to be a Nurse about 21 years ago, and never ever went back after our first born was born, but the stress, of working as a nurse when pregnant nearly sent her mental.
You can't discipline someone who is injured at work for time off. You should feel lucky that they do not sue you for the pain and suffering.
You can't discipline someone who is made ill by the work that she does, and you can't put someone's unborn baby at risk.
It boils my piss.
My wife used to be a Nurse about 21 years ago, and never ever went back after our first born was born, but the stress, of working as a nurse when pregnant nearly sent her mental.
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