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AIBU?

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Original poster

NHS still wasting money

115 replies

mollymole · 14/03/2013 16:01

I think I may be being unreasonable so I will put it out to you all to see what you think - my dear friend's mother has lost her life to cancer - my friend had booked 2 weeks paid annual leave, on the 2nd day her mother sadly died. her 2 weeks annual leave has been changed to 2 weeks paid compassionate leave
and then the 2 weeks leave she had booked has been transferred to tag after the compassionate leave has ended.
Whilst it is truly sad that her mother has died why are the NHS spending their money in this way when they are supposed to be strapped for cash ?

OP posts:
JakeBullet · 14/03/2013 19:00

When my much loved auntie was dying my NHS manager was unable to give me compassionate leave so told me to go sick......and I did. I was helping to nurse my auntie at home so she could die there.

How terrible for people paying taxes that the NHS wastes money on supporting its staff....shocking.

Yes I am being very sarcastic.

Oh and I have long ago given up ever hoping to receive any pay for the hours I have done over and beyond the end of my shifts. So I reckon the NHS ans me are just about even in the give and take.

SauvignonBlanche · 14/03/2013 19:06

Some fucking friend!
It's cost effective in the long run to keep staff in the work place.

gasman · 14/03/2013 19:09

When my mother died my department were fantastic. They arranged locums to work my upcoming night shifts. Gave me two weeks of compassionate leave and then sheltered me back in with relatively straightforward lists for a week or two.

Yes, this has cost them a small fortune but I'm still at work. I'm not off sick with stress or depression and I'm clinically safe.

Frontline clinical jobs need people who are on form. I've tried to work off form and it wasn't good for me or the patients.

YABVU.

Pobblewhohasnotoes · 14/03/2013 19:10

You're using your friends very sad situation to slag off the nhs. That's low, really low.

RockinD · 14/03/2013 19:41

I work in the public sector. I work five days, so I would be entitled to 5 days compassionate leave on the death of certain specified close relatives.

It is however understood that most people will use that time and then get themselves signed off sick until they are ready to come back.

I think it's a very individual thing. XFIL died in March. I had a day off for his funeral. DH did not go back to work until nine months later.

sarahtigh · 14/03/2013 19:54

the NHS wastes huge amounts of money, however compassionate leave is not the culprit, in most companies and indeed in public sector 3-5 dyas is normal for very close relative and 1 day for funeral for most others

the money the NHS wastes is in procurement when it thinks it gets a good deal because it bulk orders but is actually paying more ie paper /pens etc also on other consumables like disposable gloves it spends no time getting the best deals, also it wastes huge amounts of money on the wrong type of staff ie more administrations and less nurses lab technicians porters etc

those of us that work in the NHS know where the money is wasted and that costs cold be cut by 5-10% without impinging patient care . unfiortunately we also know that these cuts will not happen but instead the managers will look after themselves appoint a time management consultant introduce another layer of form filling etc so front line staff and services will suffer when they need not

thebitchdoctor · 14/03/2013 20:12

Thanks munchkinmaster

And I agree with gasman, clinical staff need to be on form for their patients. I wasn't, but I did recognise that and did something about it. Luckily I'd changed jobs by then to a very supportive place that allowed me to work at my own pace.

Bridgetbidet · 14/03/2013 20:24

I was a contractor for the NHS when my mother in law who I was very close to died. I was given a few days compassionate leave which was not part of my contract.

I will always remember the essential human decency of the people who did this. It demonstrated a compassion that was vital in people managing services which are a matter of life or death.

A decency and compassion that you seem to be missing OP.

Vev · 14/03/2013 20:27

The NHS do not give two weeks paid compassionate leave. Think it is three days paid for close family.

YABU.

NorthernLurker · 14/03/2013 20:28

Sarahtigh - do you have responsibility for ordering or procurement? I doubt it somehow because if you did you'd know that your post is bollocks quite honestly. In the Trust I work in we have been cutting costs and finding ways to be more effective without compromising care. That's 'we' as in the managers btw.

Op - get a grip. You started the thread for a moan and you thought people would agree with you. Now you know otherwise try looking up 'friend' and 'compassion' in the dictionary.

poppypebble · 14/03/2013 20:37

YABU.

When my Dad died I called into work in a daze at 7am, having been at the hospital watching the doctors try to save him until gone 3am. As soon as I told them what had happened, I was told that I wasn't expected back until after the funeral. In the end I had 7 working days off and then it was half-term. I'm a teacher and there was no way I was standing in front of a class in that state. I did however collect marking and planning and return this, I just could not trust myself not to cry the moment a stroppy teenager had a go at me. In some jobs you just can't get your head down at a desk and ignore people, or nip for a quick cry in the loos when you feel like it.

suebfg · 14/03/2013 20:40

YABU - thought would never cross my mind. PS the NHS are still be wasting money but this isn't an example of it.

colleysmill · 14/03/2013 20:43

It is infinitely preferable to provide compassionate leave than have a member of staff go on long term sick leave from coming back to work too early.

It's a very personal thing grief. When my mother was at the end I took 3 days special leave to sit with her at the end and 2 days after she died. I went back to work the next Monday but that was my coping mechanism. My dsis needed much longer. I have never begrudged her that time - she needed it.

lotsofcheese · 14/03/2013 20:44

Agree with Northernlurker re: procurement & wastage: certainly in Scotland we have nationally-negotiated contracts for products so costs are kept as low as possible.

I do agree there are too many non-clinical managers. This harks back to the introduction of Trusts & so-called competition. But numbers are reducing.

However clinical staff are working at maximum capacity & there is no slack in the system just now.

sarahtigh · 14/03/2013 20:48

northernlurker actually yes I do, I have experience in dentistry in NHS both in independent high street NHS practice and in dental hospital/ hospital settings and I know for example that in disposable gloves they are paying more than £1 extra per box of 100 gloves in the hospital setting than we do in general practice when you would have thought the hospital would get much larger discounts due to sheer quantities I could list other examples,

I have actually told them the exact address of the UK company but they replied they were not interested and it was a waste of time getting them cheaper, when in actual fact for about 30 minutes work they would have saved at least £7000 per year in just one clinic. you would have to be on an extremely high salary to make 7000 for half an hours work an irrelevance

midastouch · 14/03/2013 20:54
Shock YABU.. and pretty heartless imo. The NHS does waste money but when someones mother has died thats not a waste of NHS money!
suebfg · 14/03/2013 20:59

The NHS is one of the world's largest employers with a massive budget. Of course it needs a significant number of non clinical staff - but what it needs are good ones :)

MummytoKatie · 14/03/2013 20:59

I assumed this was going to be along the lines of "my friend's mum died of cancer and they said she couldn't have xyz drug as it was too expensive. We were just leaving hospital when there was a big kerfuffle and they unveiled a huge bronze statue in the lobby....."

On the whole the better you treat your staff the harder they work for you. (Am going in tomorrow when I should be on holiday.)

Sparklyblue · 14/03/2013 21:02

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by Mumsnet for breaking our Talk Guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

MummytoKatie · 14/03/2013 21:03

Sorry that makes no sense. What I mean is that my company has treated me very well and so as I'm really busy at the moment at work Imsaid " I'm supposed to be off on Friday but do you want me to come in..."

MammaTJ · 14/03/2013 21:14

I can think of many ways the NHS waste money and your 'friends' compasionate leave is really not one of them.

I applied as bank staff and got told they did not employ bank staff, so worked on agency for same trust, now that is a waste. It does not create loyalty, it does not create continuity for patients, it wastes money.

Your friend, as a valued employee, who will return to full employment, deserves what the NHS gives her.

You, as a friend, deserve to be sacked!!

LatteLady · 14/03/2013 21:30

Well in that case I must be really unreasonable. When the HT where I am Chair of Govs, discovered that her partner had breast cancer, I set up a meeting with her and the SLT to plan for the day when she would have to ring the school and say " my darling X is dying..." It was a combination of three weeks compassionate leave topped up with a medical cert to cover half a term, in the end.

Do I regret the three weeks, no, never. We used our shadow management to cover it, and I know that she had precious time to say goodbye and start to recover was the most compassionate thing we could do. I could never pay her back for her time and commitment to the school in over 20 years... I was lucky we could manage.

I send your friend my deepest sympathies on her loss.

Sparklyblue · 14/03/2013 22:09

Why have all our messages been deleted?

MorningHandsome · 14/03/2013 22:13

Oooh my first ever post that has been deleted!

I still think you're being unreasonable op, if you was given that much compassionate leave im sure you would have been grateful.

Sparklyblue · 14/03/2013 22:15

My first too.

^^^^
What Morning said.