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How does carer's leave work( NHS workers)?

4 replies

yok2t · 27/07/2011 19:31

I am still on mat leave and DH is working full time. Last weekend I got really unwell and on Monday had a temperature of 39C and was barely able to get out of bed, let alone look after our baby. DH rang work and said he needed to take carer's leave. He went back in the next day as I felt a little bit better and able to supervise the baby from the sofa.
His manager told him he had to take the day as annual leave and when he asked why was first told he had already taken his carer's leave(not true, he never asked for any before) and then was told that, as I had not been in hospital, me being sick at home wasn't a good enough reason.
I work in the NHS too and thought that was what emergency carer's leave was for, can they just outright refuse unless I'm on my deathbed? This is our first baby and we are kind of new at this, any advice appreciated!

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moaningminniewhingesagain · 27/07/2011 21:10

He was taking carers leave to look after the baby because the person who usually looks after the baby was ill - thats what I suggest he points out to them when he discusses it again.

If the childminder was sick, it would be fine, so I think they are being cheeky trying to get him to take AL. I'm NHS too, I get up to one week (pro rata) of paid carers leave and can take more as unpaid if I need to.

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Northernlurker · 27/07/2011 21:18

I'm NHS and as a manager I would grant carers leave in those circumstances. You dh should check the local policy and then speak to HR.

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twinklytoes · 27/07/2011 23:15

definately check your special leave policy. Ours covers 5 days paid leave in an emergency for situations just like this but it does state "at managers discretion" therefore in essence a request to use annual leave or toil could be made. But the 5 days is also the same 5 days used for compassionate leave - you can't have 10. Ours also has to be recorded on a form (don't we love another bit of paper!) and sent to HR for filing on the personnel file.

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yok2t · 29/07/2011 10:53

Thank you. He went to check with HR and they sorted it out for him.
In my place of work I have never known of anyone being refused if they asked because their kids needed looking after, thats why we were rather surprised that he was refused.Seemed a reasonable request to me, but then his manager is not known for being reasonable. :(