To be utterly fucked off with this doctor

[Ramenallday]

NHS.

Doctor informs me they will be taking 3 weeks annual leave (fine no problem) - encouraging everyone to take annual leave for wellbeing after the last year.

Then mentions they are flying to India to see family. I made it quite clear it was against regulations to leave the country unless they had an exemption and shows a distinct lack of judgement. Two days later they’ve changed their mind, they now need to go not for a holiday but to sign legal papers

Flew out THREE days before India was red listed and it was already clear there is a huge crisis.

Has now contacted me to ask for a letter explaining why they shouldn’t have to quarantine in a hotel and how desperately they are needed back at work so they can quarantine at home.

Inclined to say no, fuck off you made your bed you lie in it. Am being over ruled and told to write the letter . Why should they not have to pay to quarantine?!! They made a choice, anyone could see what was going to happen. I have hundreds of staff who desperately want to see their family but haven’t.

AIBU to not write the letter?!

I’d have thought the last place you’d want a doctor who’s been in India is anywhere near a hospital.

Being a doctor seems like more of a reason to quarantine properly rather than less.

@Milkywaystars

Anonymous tip off to the medical authorising body, they must know that this is happening a lot.

Definitely.

yes agreed. they have shown their lack of morality and gone against their oath with this action

The only difference between quarantining in hotel versus home is surely the cost so they just want to save money after being a selfish idiot & going to India. They’ve made their bed let them lie in it!

I'm not sure where the OP sits in the management chain but does the doctor and perhaps some people here seriously think having a letter written on perhaps surgery "notepaper" is going to be enough for Border Officials at the likes of Heathrow?

Those that are exempt (coming in from non - Red List) from some quarantine measures generally need IDs and paper work from upon high, not something knocked up on an office typewriter.

I don't know how the NHS management structure works but whther the request is reasonable or not I'd suggest the request for a get out of quarantine letter has to be passed up the management chain..however that works? Trust?

I’m not the covid police and I understand that many people have had to bend the rules over the past year for childcare, their own mental health, etc. I have no real issue with this if it is risk assessed and done sensibly.

However, this is fucking outrageous. Based on their actions up to this point, I don’t believe for a second that the doctor will quarantine properly at home. There’s no way I’d put my signature on anything to help them circumvent the rules when there’s a massive risk of them bringing a new strain here just as the country is beginning to open up again.

They sound like a selfish cunt.

Well if they are needed at work then they aren't planning on quarantining at home!

The whole point is where you quarantine dependent on risk. Not that you don't need to.

I'd perhaps put that in the letter.

X is. DR at x surgery. They are required at work on x date after their quarantine.

Could they wfh whilst doing the 10 days isolation at home? Whereas maybe they can’t in a hotel?

OP needs to cover their ass too! I would write a basic letter on the lines of "this is to confirm that DR XX is a (job title) employed at (trust name) and if necessary list his duties. Leave it at that. Then you have covered all bases.

There's no need for outrage TBH, other than at the sense of entitlement being displayed since I very very strongly doubt what being asked for is going to happen.

That said my jaw is still on the floor at the realisation that some (perhaps the GP) think getting around quarantine is as simple as getting " a letter".... this is not like trying to bunk off school PT by getting a note your Mum/Dad or best mate...

HMG Border guidance on exempt occupations and reasons for travel that give exemption are very clear (I'll repost the link at the bottom). There are now very few HCP or medically related reasons for escaping even self isolation and there are all reasons now for anybody escaping managed isolation if they arrive from somewhere on the red list.

There's also another tiny little detail that also complicate trying to "blag it" - HMG now require an individual travelling from a red list country to have booked a managed quarantine package before commencing their journey to the UK, and the airline may well check on that prior to boarding.

If the OP is still being asked to write something if I was in their shoes I'd asking which part of the Border guidance material gives details of documentation required and the format of any letter.

Here's that important link again:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-travellers-exempt-from-uk-border-rules/coronavirus-covid-19-travellers-exempt-from-uk-border-rules