HELP! Advice on sick leave/pay?

[frustratedmumof3]

I am currently on sick leave from my local authority job due to stress/anxiety partly due to work. My doctor signed me off until the end of October (would have been off for two months by that time). Also saw their occupational health doctor last week who has said that I will need 3 months off to recover (don't know whether that's from last week or from the first day I was off?). Anyway as I was getting bored at home and felt better, I decided to go back to work today (got my doctor to sign me as 'fit to work' but he said he will sign me off again if need be) but could not face it and ended up not getting out of the car and came back home , so was obviously not ready, called my manager and he and the Head of HR are coming to see me tomorrow at home.

Hopefully someone can advise me before then what trouble will I be in as I did not go in today??

Also regarding sick pay - I went on sick leave 7 days before the end of my full 1st year of service and it seems that rather than using my entitlement for my 2nd year, they are keeping it on the 1st years entitlement. Is this usual? My sick pay will run out of the 7th November but as their occupational health department recommends 3 months off, should'nt they have to pay me for that? Advice appreciated.

[flowerybeanbag]

I don't think it's going to be about being in 'trouble', more about seeing how you are and making sure you don't try and come back before you are fit to do so.

If they are using up your 1st year sick pay entitlement first that sounds as though they are using a bit of discretion to make sure you get paid as much as possible, so that's a good thing. Some employers have/use more discretion with sick pay than others, so it's not a case of what's 'usual'.

Just because it's the OH person that's signed you off doesn't affect the pay in any way, unless that's what it says in your contract or absence policy. It wouldn't normally make a difference. If their policy says you will be paid for 7 days, unless they use/are able to use discretion and do something different, that's what you'll get.

Sounds as though they are using a bit of discretion already as I said.

You should go on to SSP when your occupational sick pay runs out.