Hi,
I have recently been sent an email telling me that all staff (I am a teacher) can no longer expect to get paid for a variety of circumstances, it will now be at the head’s discretion. One of these unpaid activities, can you believe is medical and dental appointments and I am in an area where we get really thorough follow up checks. I have 7 appointments between now and July despite being 2 years from dx and just on tamoxifen. Could anyone please tell me what the situation is as I know we are covered by disability laws? We are currently only allowed to go to funerals if they consider the relationship is close enough, so a bit worried as friend was not allowed to go to funeral of a close uncle. I can’t believe the unions haven’t jumped into action.
Thanks
Lily
Hi Lily
Here’s the link to our EMPLOY charter publications which contains information about what you can expect from your employer, there is a booklet for them too read too:
breastcancercare.org.uk/healthcare-professionals/publications/financial-and-practical-advice/
Best wishes
Lucy
Lily im pretty sure thats against the law under the DDA you are entitled to time off for treatment (although it doesnt specify whether you would be paid or not… but surely that is discrimination as its not your fault you have cancer and need treatments or follow up)
see (f) in this excerpt from the DDA…
(3) The following are examples of steps which an employer may have to take in relation to a disabled person in order to comply with subsection (1)—
(a) making adjustments to premises;
(b) allocating some of the disabled person’s duties to another person;
(c) transferring him to fill an existing vacancy;
(d) altering his working hours;
(e) assigning him to a different place of work;
(f) allowing him to be absent during working hours for rehabilitation, assessment or treatment;
(g) giving him, or arranging for him to be given, training;
(h) acquiring or modifying equipment;
(i) modifying instructions or reference manuals;
(j) modifying procedures for testing or assessment;
(k) providing a reader or interpreter;
(l) providing supervision.
and breast cancer is specifically named as being a disability in the DDA
and the unions may not have jumped into action as they might not be aware of the changes… why not get in touch with your own union and see what advice they can give you too… after all thats why you pay your subscription.
good luck
love Lulu x
Hi Lily, I’m a teacher too, so interested in your situation.
The first thing I would do is see the Head and clarify if this instruction applies to your appointments for breast cancer treatment. It may not be directed at you at all…
Our policy also states that medical and dental appointments should be avoided during school time. I think that is fair for routine appointments and check ups. However, appointments for BC treatment are surely not in the same class!
I was at the BCC meeting called “Breast Cancer and Work” a couple of weeks ago and learned about the DDA. As Lulu says, BC is included and you should not be discriminated against. Your Head probably doesn’t know this. I’m sure mine doesn’t! Yet!
I asked about medical appointments as mine were logged as sick leave last term. I was told to challenge that and seek advice from my union if needed. My school is claiming insurance for my absences so I can see why they did it… but ultimately it will affect my sick leave pay, so I will be challenging it after half term…
Anyway, chat to your Head first, see where you stand and take it from there. Engage your union they will have experts to offer advice and support.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
Sheila xxx
This head teachers discretion business is bad. I only needed to take one and a half days off when my dad died as he died on Christmas day so just needed time for the funeral. I had half a day’s pay stopped. I checked with my employer the local county council who told me that heads only needed to use discretion if you needed more than a week off for a parent’s death. I never bothered to challenge my head as I hadn’t the energy. I had a day’s pay stopped when I went to my uncle’s funeral too.
I’ve had afternoon’s off for chemo which I thought would be counted as sick leave, but I’ve since heard that appointments don['t count as sick and should just be allowed if they are unavoidable during school hours.
Contach you HR department and see what they say as well as your union. It sounds like your head could be overstepping his authority.
Kelley
As was said before we are covered by the DDA and they have to give you time off for your appointments. Follow the link above, I gave that and some other DDA documents that I found on a HR site to my line manager at my back to work interview. I’m sorry but I have changed laptops and no longer have the links. I am having weekly appointments for MLD and I am getting paid time off. I am a teacher too but now an advisory teacher working for an LEA.
Jackie
Hi i also work in a school my head organised occupational health last year for me as she felt they could advise faised return to work etc, this also meant I could take all my hosp appoints without worry of losing pay.
I do not have to ask permission for hosp appoint etc like other staff members nor do I fill in any forms I just give a list of days I will not be in so cover is arranged, and also by being under occ health watchful eye it means my days off do not count against me as I am covered by dda.
I know we also have had an email as regards taking time off work,this was a mail bomb so it was sent to everyone but I was told it does not apply to me.I have been treated fantastically and could not have asked for a better team to work with.I have been having treatment for 18 months now which is still continuing.
Goodluck
Hi,
thank you so much for your replies and I will look through them in detail tomorrow as yawning my head off. The school did give me full pay as required for 6 months but declined my request to continue after 6 months and I went to half pay. So even though still on chemo and rads after that I had my pay reduced.By the way half pay is not 50% of your usual pay. It is half of the number of working days in that month and one month they insisted that was half of 17 days so very little money with no warning.
I think I will contact the local county council HR dept and see what they say before I go to see him. Thanks and take care
Lily
hi all I have never been paid for dox ,hospital appointments and time off for surgery in the two years since DX When i had my surgery I used my holidays to go in hospital !
Hi,
the leaflets were very helpful although some parts are open to interpretation so could be argued either way if someone wanted to be difficult. I think anyone who works in a school knows that we are fortunate to get a good deal on sick pay, although I know others with even better care. I have a bone scan in 4 week and got the second degree before I could get my form signed. Generally felt like I was being interrogated and that they thought I was skiving. ‘What type of radioactive isotope is it? Surely it disperses in 6 hours, smirk. Have you actually been told, in words, by a person at the hospital that you are a danger to others?’ I was so mad I said right I’ll come in if YOU say you want me to and the school is going to be liable for anything that might result from me being with a pregnant woman.I stomped off with it eventually signed so not really sure how the next one will go. Mazaroo I am sorry you have not got very nice employers and it seems they are breaking the law from the leaflets. Teachers get no holiday except designated hols and you couldn’t really wait till July for a long break for an op, so swings and roundabouts for us. I am aware we are more fortunate than many people and wish we could all have top benefits and care.
Lily
The DDA certainly applies. I am a teacher and deal with the DDA every day. You would certainly win at tribunal. You don’t work in an academy do you?
I chose to give up work at a FE college but they were hugely supportive and very clued up on the DD Act. I was offered free taxis to get to work, turned them down as it was such a short walk. Was asked if I needed a different chair, desk etc. I was also able to change my hours permanently and not do the more stressful parts of the job…dealing with very disgruntled students. I took a year off on sick leave and was told to take all my holiday entitlement for that year when I returned. I wish we all had such supportive employers.
You are lucky - I went to work for an FE College and left after a month as they were totally unsupportive and had no comprehension of anything. They had a 6 week gap between appointing me and my start date, during which time they were supposed to have everything in place for me like training and support. It just never happened and the woman who was supposed to be looking after me just couldn’t be bothered. She was sidetracked by her daughter expecting a baby and wittered on about it all day. I left after a month and went to a grievance meeting with them, where the HR woman said “oh, you seemed very confident when we appointed you so we assumed you wouldn’t need any help”. The week after I left the head of HR admitted to me on the phone that they had no experience of dealing with someone who was returning to work after serious illness - however this was denied at the meeting. They even messed up the payroll and kept paying me after I left; they would then email me asking for a cheque to reimburse them!
Thankfully, it gave me the push I needed and I now work for myself. My office is at home and I only have to commute across the landing, so no travel costs either lol.
Hi,
just an update about what happened. Over half-term I made a few phone calls to determine county policy on cancer. I asked for clarification from the school and threw in a few quotes from the County Council HR lady about the difference between one off and irregular appointments and long term illness. I didn’t even get in to the head so I guess they realised I had taken advice and told no problem at all and it didn’t apply to me. Or someone could have told them I was moaning about it and had taken advice. Or they could have been nice all along hmmmmmm.
Good luck
Lily x
Lily im glad to hear you got it resolved.
Lx