rolling sick pay in NHS

[suff]

I was off sick for 6 months from mid February to mid August 2009. I am being advised to take a further period of sick leave but don't want to lose my full salary. The organisation I work for operates a 'rolling sick pay' scheme which I don't fully understand. Can anyone please explain what would happen if I were to take medical advice and go on sick leave from mid-May 2010?
It's not my habit to take any sick leave - I've been in the NHS for over 30 years with barely a day off until recently - but 'management' are making my life a misery irrespective of the fact that practitioners & those I manage are very happy with my work and support.I can't 'prove' harassment & bullying - the organisation are too 'powerful' for that, even with union backing. So would I lose out on full pay if I were to go on sick leave now? Many thanks.

[factor-fiction]

Well by taking 6 months off, returning for 6 months and then taking another six months you might get away with it and keep your full pay. if i was the employer I would find it difficult to accept this pattern. i think it's likely they will start incapability procedures.
I assume you are genuineely unfit to work and not just planning this absence to get revenge on your employer.
If you are unable to cope with the current demands of the jobs, are so unhappy and your job makes you ill it may be a good time to seek another job.

[dzug2]

From what I can make out from the previous post you would be treated as having used 3 months (approx - mid May to mid-August last year)) of sick leave already in the rolling year, so assuming they allow 6 months on full pay (big assumption but true of some employers) you could have 3 months off without losing pay.

[ojread2]

Surely you will find the answer in your T&C's or contract? what does your union say?

"If an employee is sick on more than one occasion within a rolling 12 month period his/her outstanding entitlement is calculated on the first day of each absence." from Worcester NHS publication. And ...
"When the period of paid sickness has been exhausted further payments may only be made with the approval of the Executive Management Board following consultation with Personnel."

Whether you can prove what you are experiencing or whether they are to powerful has nothing to do with your sick pay - it's a separate issue and one which you should get help with via your union, ACAS or CaB

[factor-fiction]

dzug- if it is a six month allowance I think she will may get away with a six montha absence here rather than a 3 month absence as some of theprevious absences will fall out of the 12 month rolling total.
If she is off May to November she will be okay- e.g. the 12 month rolling total to July will be July 09 , Aug09, May10, June 10 (4 months).
By October 2010 her pre August 2009 absences won't count so her 12 month rolling record will show only May-Oct 2010.
But employers must be wise to people who take 6 months off, six months in, six months off.

[boxtops]

Suff, for your length of service you would get 6 months full sick pay then go onto half sick pay once your full allocation ran out. It doesn't work annually, you are entitled to it once then you have to come back to work. You would be sent for occupational health clearance before you would be allowed to come back, and they can send you for Occ Health reports during your sickness absence as well as ask for reports from your own doctor or consultant. Have you consulted your organisation's Occ Health service? you should be able to self refer, or speak to your HR manager, Our NHS organisation has strong policies about bullying etc and if your work patterns or anything in the job is making you ill then this should be investigated. I am not aware of any rolling sick pay pattern within the NHS - here is the link to the NHS Employers website, click on the link on the right to the "NHS Terms & Conditions of service booklet" - you are looking for section 14 where the sickness payment processes are laid out very clearly. I hope this helps.
http://www.nhsemploye...ay-and-contracts.aspx

[suff]

Thanks to all who relied with such good advice.
No it's not revenge - it's a 'gang of four or five' managers who seem intent on making my job untenable - not because of my capability or competence (or lack of) - but because I stand up for what I believe is right and have put in place systems that make their 'practice' look positively antiquated - and because I won't agree to the current draconian cuts and 'downgrading' - which I can already see are putting children's welfare at risk.
HR are merely senior management 'stooges' . Staff (frontliners) have become demoralised & are leaving in droves - which I think is the whole idea (i.e.to save money). I'm not politically naive & do understand the current financial crisis - but there are 'managers' whose roles seem wholly irrelevant.
The union have tried but when push comes to shove they are up against a brick wall - policies are so 'tight' that HR can, it seems, always find a 'loophole' to protect themselves.
As for 'swinging the lead' - that's never been my style. I feel guilty if I do have to take time off. Like most NHS workers I do far more hours than I am contracted (or paid) to do - again it's not an issue of competency or capability - it's about the enormity of my workload.
Occ Health have been great - and are apalled at the way I've been treated - as are the staff I work with and manage. It's just that I am being worn down by the constant 'fault-finding' which is so trivial as to be incredulous. Perhaps I'm too principled - but when it comes to safeguarding children - I will always address that matter before 'ticking boxes' so the organisation appears to be doing it's job.
Sorry for the rant - thanks again to all who took the time to reply.

[suff]

P.S. I am due to retire within the next 9 months! Seems like an eternity.

[boxtops]

Suff - I recognise what you say about NHS workload and what you say does not sound good. I agree, I know many people who work more than contracted hours to try to get through the workload, it seems such a common practice which you don't find in the private sector, and it was a specific question on this year's staff survey. Do try to hang on in there as you are so close to retirement, you can soon wave goodbye to the whole shebang.

[Lindylou]

Sounds like what I went through. Luckily my Union representative was terrific - also Occie Health and, believe it or not, the Personnel Department. Why no action was taken against this person I have no idea. The poison dwarf who was the cause of all my problems was well known to the Occupational Health Dept. I wasn't the only one who was forced to take sick leave because of her appalling managerial strategy which consisted of out and out bullying. Now that I have retired I've promised myself that if I ever meet her out and about, so to speak, I shall give her a good slap!

[1127r]

i have had the same problem and was intimidated by my boss and manager but it was our own occy health that would not allow me back to work, rite to the point rolling sick pay means you have to have a complete year with no sick time taken at all, to then be eligable to claim sick pay again,
i also think this breeches there own health and safety rules because it encourges us to keep quiet about our own health problems and this is very difficult as we get older because if you need hospital treatment its highly likely you will need further back up treatment to ie knee ops cateracts hip ops dental ect ect