Hi,
just wondered if anyone has taken ‘early retirement’ or left the NHS due to their health. I ahve some questions but dont want to trawl though all of the literature.
Thanks
I’d like to know this too.
I’m 8 months into my treatment, and will be on no pay soon after new year, so looking at this as an option as I know I can’t go back to my old job … too much stress / travelling / worry!
I’ve been “in” for 20 years, how about you rufusdufus?
Rebecca
Rebecca - remember that they have to accomodate your needs under the disability discriimination act so they can’t sack you or make you do a job you can’t do.
I went to my manager who went to HR and they did all the pension calculations but it took about 3 months for the pensions people to work it all out. Now my life expectancy is so short I will die in service which is the best option pension wise but obviously not the outcome we wished for.
You can easily download all the penson info from the NHS pension website - but if you’ve worked part time it gets very complicated to do the calculations yourself so that’s why it’s best to go to HR.
Your managers should be supporting you both so I think you both need to go to them, HR or occy health and get your options. It’s too complicated to go into details here but The NHS has one of the best pension schemes so wouldn’t jump out of it unless really sure you are not going back to any type of work. Your manager also has discretion whether to carry on paying you after the 6 months full pay and again 6 months halfpay so could be worth exploring that option.
Remeber the protection from the DDA as well.
I was initially redeployed as was a community nurse so couldn’t do that so worked in the office with occy health’s help and so did part time hours as that was all I could manage until I became too ill to work. I
t depends on your prognosis and your occy health doc how easy it is to get early retirement but have been told once have secondaries it is easy but not that quick but where the NHS is concerned that’s no surprise!!
Quite honestly, I think you have to either trawl through the literature or go to your manager/HR as it is quite complicated and depends on hours you’ve worked and length of service to give a catch all answer and which part of the NHS you are in - eg foundation trusts if contracts been changed and also if a nurse or other allied profession.
Best of luck
Kate
Kate
Kate, thanks for your insight
I’m thankfully not in the secondaries group yet, so nothing will be easy, but I do know that I could never go back to the job I was doing. I’m a senior (but still clinical) manager. I have huge stress within the department, plus a four hours commute nto & from work.
I’m not sure that they’ll entertain letting me go, but certainly I’ll make sure that they push me, rather than jumping!
Rebecca
I was a ward manager/senior sister. After being diagnosed in 2006 I took nearly a year off, then went back and lasted about 3 months before going off sick again. This happened a couple of times. It was just too stressful and caring for patients with cancer really floored me. I saw a psychologist and counsellor etc. and the doctor at occupational health was great. I decided to apply for ill health retirement in March this year. It took less than a week for them to get back to me to say that I had been successful. I was very organised and had got letters from my oncologist, occy health doctor and psychologist and I also wrote a statement about how I felt etc.
I don’t have secondaries, but really stressed the psychological part of things. I presume that as you are posting in the younger womens forum that you are a lot younger than me, I am 52 but age shouldn’t be a barrier in you being able to retire.
I now feel ready to do some work and I am a triage nurse for the out of hours G.P service. I only work a shift a week for 5 hours and it is via the phone so there is no reall patient contact and that works for me. Also, the money is great!!!
I wish you well,
Jenna
I have been sending replies to the first question by private message because I work in HR in the NHS and haven’t got a very anonymous username! However this is clearly concerning several people so I will try to give some general advice. I am not a pensions expert and I don’t handle HR casework any more, but I manage a team of HR managers who do, so I hope I can be of some help.
Firstly the rules about ill health retirement for NHS staff have recently changed earlier this year, and there are now 2 tiers, one for people who can’t do their job (I think this would include doing it with adjustments made) and one for people unable to work anywhere in any capacity. The first option is less advantageous in pension terms than the second. You can find the details on the NHS Employers website. A primary BC diagnosis would be unlikely to lead to a successful application (otherwise I would have tried myself!). As Kate has said, an application with a secondary diagnosis would be much more likely to succeed. Or as Jenna found, other health issues in addition.
I completely endorse the comments above that HR and occ health are the people you need to contact. The pensions officer at your payroll dept or the pensions agency will get calculations for you.
I am happy to give advice more specifically, but do prefer to do so by private message, if anyone wants to contact me.
All the best
Anne
Anne,
Can I ask a question re Kates point on sick pay?
Its a general question but if you would rather PM me thats OK (if I can find it?)
Do management really have the discretion to allow you to continue on full pay after it has ran out rather than go on half pay?
I have had 2 previous surgeries in the last 2 years unrelated to BC that have used up most of my full sick pay and some half pay.I am on full pay at the moment but it runs out this month.
If this is the case who do I contact?
Many thanks
Dot
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Hi seems lots of us work for the NHS. I have 32 years service. Under A4C new terms and conditions - applicable from April this year I thin - discretion has been given to managers in respect of the half pay etc. This is in recognition of the fact that for some conditions - like ours - we often need to take a reasonable amount of time off work and worrying about our finances only adds to the stress. If you look on the DOF website, A4C it will give you the details.
Di
Hi Di,
Sorry whats DOF ?
I am still fighting for on-call payments from my first sick leave in Dec 2006 which are payable under AfC.So I don’t think they worry too much about the strain on my finances!
I had 6 months off following orthopaedic surgery in Dec 2006.The op failed and was repeated in Nov 2007 and I had just over 4 months sick leave on half pay.I only went back full time after a phased return in June this year and was diagnosed on 30 June,Had op on 23rd July, I got full pay again but was told only for 9 weeks
I just wondered who actually would make the decision re full pay?
Dot
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Yes management do have the discretion to extend sick pay, but it will depend on your Trust’s policy who will have the authority to do it. Because of the need to be fair and equitable to everyone, you may find that the decisions are taken centrally at a very senior level. There always was an option to extend sick pay in exceptional circumstances, but I can’t recall that we have ever done so in our Trust. Dot - I would approach your manager first and ask them to raise it with HR. Details of the new sickness and pension arrangements are on the NHS Employers website.
Good luck
Anne
Thanks Anne,
I spoke to my Boss yesterday and she said that she had spoken to her boss and I am due more full pay than we originally thought so luckily for me I don’t need anyones “discretion”.I checked with pay dept and I have a full 6 months full pay as in the last 12 months I have only had 4 months half pay.
Hopefully they will pay my on-call money due soon!
Thanks
Dot
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sorry typo from me - i meant DOH (Department of Health). Glad you have got sorted. Di
Dot
I’m glad that’s sorted out. it must be a relief.
all the best
Anne
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Just had occ health appt. They are suggesting I be signed off for another month and are talking about me being down graded on my return because I am ‘stressed’. I am really upeset…I worked my normal hours through nearly all of my chemo and had the minimum time off. This has really stressed me. On top of everything else this is gong to stress me and seems really unfair that they have raised this when I am on sick leave.
Any words of wisdom?
I have a physio friend who developed mild lymphodaema following WLE and node clearance. Due to the fact that her fingers kept going into spasm - so she could not do her job - she was given retirement on ill health grounds. I also had another physio friend who deveoped fibromyalgia due to chemo and took early retirement then went back part time , getting her pension and lump sum and being paid. As long as your pension plus your pay does not equal your original pay you are OK.
Hi rufusdufus
I have copied below for you BCC’s publication, Employment Charter which may be worth while you reading.
breastcancercare.org.uk/docs/a5_employ_booklet_0.pdf
For further help and advice do phone the helpline and they’ll be able to talk to you in more detail about how you stand with work issues. The lines are open Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm and Sat 9 am - 2pm. 0808 800 6000. Hope this helps.
Kind regards,
Jo, Facilitator
They can’t downgrade you. If your illness means you aren’t able to do your current job/role they have to find you an altrnative at the same grade - a lower graded post isn’t a suitable alternative - or look at pension options for you. Are you in a union? If you are I suggst you give them a call. Di
Hi,
How reassurring for me to know that there are so many going through similar experiences.
I have worked as a nurse (nhs) for past 24 yrs. My sickness record had always been great until my diagnosis. I have had to take many episodes off for surgery(mx, removal of ovaries, prophalacti mx and recon, problems with recon inc PE, joint and muscle pains and depression due to dealing with it all. following bouts of sickness I have returned and requested some training to update me(not given) and following initial sympathy find that collegues and management are now just fed up with me due to sick leave. this has had a huge impact on my confidence. I find I get more tired than usual , I find things difficult due to unexplained muscle and joint pain and I feel so anxious and stressed going in tio work now I feel I am making myself ill. I now feel that I cant take anymore and cannot cope with nursing anymore. Does anyone know how I would stand in asking for ill health retirement ? I really do feel desperate and am in tears writing this.
Anne x
Hi happyshopper,
So sorry to hear you are having even more stress especially due to work. I believe there are 2 tiers to ill health retirement, but I am not afraid with the details I found a good website a few days ago nhs employers dot org I think they have some info there. I think I knowhow you feel you just reach a point where you cant go on coping any more or as I say “you can only juggle so many balls at once”. The joint and muscle pain is very distressing. Do you have any sick leave left could you perhaps take some time out to consider you options?
Good luck
Ruth
Anne,
I am so sorry to read that you are so upset.
Just want to send you a big hug ((((((()))))))))
I have faced the return to work and colleagues limited sympathy! And will soon be doing so again
I had a broken foot operated on in Dec 2006 but it was still very painful when I finally returned to work 6 months later.It then transpired that the op had failed ,at least that explained the pain,but by then my colleagues had got fed up with me not “being up to scratch” I had another op in Nov 2007 and had to return to work in April again with little sympathy.At least that op was successful! Then of course I was diagnosed with BC on 30 June so I am sure my colleagues have had enough of me!
The problem with the NHS in my dept anyway is that there is no leeway to allow for sick leave,maternity leave or even just anyone feeling under par for whatever reason.
I will be back to work in a few weeks and already dreading it as we have a member of staff who is pregnant and refusing to anything much and another who after 2 ops to a bad back is likely to be retired due to ill health so the last thing my colleagues need is me on “light duties”
Have you seen Occ Health as in my experience they are the only people in the NHS who look after the staff.You can refer yourself and certainly here they are very sympathetic and supportive.They are also the ones to see re retirement,but they can also see about you finding a more suitable post if that would be better for you.
Also if you feel your extra training is essential,I would put your request in writing so they cannot deny refusing you.
I hope things get better for you,
Hugs
Dot
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