Even if you have mental health issues, you should check your work emails occasionally, or close your account...

[movingmovingmoving]

My boss is driving me up the wall. She has mental health issues, which I try to be understanding of, but this is getting increasingly difficult.

I am unable to think of an aspect of her job she does to any sort of standard. She turns up as and when suits her, and expects the rest of the team to drop everything and meet with her. She has no respect for work done by the team during the day prior to her arrival (never before 11am); she reverses valid decisions made; and generally undermines the rest of the team, for no good reason.

We are healthcare professionals, so a large part of her role is prescribing medications. Her performance and safety are questionable. She does nothing over and above the bare minimum; no service development, education, research; all of which should be part of the role she is in.

What really got me today was that she was supposed to be on annual leave. The team were presenting at a meeting today, and I emailed her about it last week. She decided randomly to come into work today, so when I heard this I texted her to make sure she knew the time of the meeting. She then tore strips off me in a public place for not telling her about the meeting. When I pointed out to her that I had emailed her, she said that she couldn't be expected to check her emails, as that would compromise her clinical work. This is just one example of her general ineptness; but the public dressing down was just too much . Most normal people manage to check their emails occasionally; if she can't do this, fine, she should shut down her account.

Sorry this is so long. It is hard to see things getting any better. The worst thing is that she has form for making false accusations about anyone that challenges her, so we are all too frightened of her to try to change anything. I'm not working in this role for much longer, but I really feel for the team members who are stuck here .

Yanbu, she sounds awful. Well lucky you're out of there soon. The rest of your team should continue making complaints, she seems to be a bully as well.

I've worked for several like this, without the excuse of mental illness!

why is she working if she is ill? Or is she operating with no management and so does as she likes? Work of this standard is theft from whoever pays for it.

CoffeeTea - the team haven't been making complaints; none of us have due to her history of ruining the lives of people who did by accusing them of bullying….our hands are tied. I have only Mumsnet to go to (DH and all my friends have heard it all already ).

Do you not have any way of anonymous whisleblowing? A lot of companies offer it.

Are you withing the NHS dare I ask?

within even!

NHS? Yes my mum whistleblower on someone like this who was compromising patient safety & ended up bullied & blah blah blah. The psychopath (she is one I think) was promoted

I sympathise. How long do you have left? Can you ask for a leavers survey when you go - or write & complain as you leave. That's something that people are doing now about my mum's ex bully boss - they can't complain while there as she'll make something up (she was exposed as lying about my mum in writing - management said 'she didn't mean it' ) so they're starting to send in reports/feedback on her when they leave.

I feel for you, YANBU, I've been in this position and was only saved when the boss in question made a massive mistake before having a huge episode that prevented her from coming to work. When she was cleared as well enough to work she was suspended because of the mistake. The business had to work very hard to justify which behaviours were illness and which were incompetence, I don't know the exact outcome only that the person in question didn't come back.

It's not her fault she is ill but there must be someone above her managing her day to day role. Otherwise this situation is unfair on everyone including her, she's clearly unwell and can't manage. You need to speak to someone higher up, our mistake was that we didn't speak out in fear of making her illness worse. We really felt for her situation but it all got too much in the end.

I would be all for anonymous feedback if I was sure it would stay anonymous. Unfortunately I'm not convinced it would, and can't take the risk. She literally has ruined peoples lives.

As one healthcare professional to another, if you have concerns about her performance and patient safety is an issue then you are duty bound to blow the whistle on this, regardless of her mental health issues.
I would write a letter to her line manager outlining your concerns re her performance, and include in it a time frame by which you expect to see some action, otherwise you will go to directorate management/ chief exec.
I have worked with people like and they are a bloody nightmare, but stand your ground. In some respects the fact you are leaving stands you in good stead - you have no axe to grind and you will not be affected if she leaves.

Yes this one did the same. I don't know what to suggest really. My mum has people coming up to her telling her they admire what she did but having seen what she went through they won't risk it themselves. My mum of course is older - she says part of the reason she spoke out is because she was so concerned by how she saw this woman destroying young nurses careers. The only way it will change though is if people speak out. Do you have a union you can talk to - even if it goes no further having then aware might help.

The NHS (if it is the NHS) needs to sort out its toxic management culture.

If you're worried about her ability to give meds then you need to report.

Re patient safety - the issues my mum raised regarding patient safety 3 years ago are still issues. No- one will deal with them.

I knew it would be the NHS.
If she bullied you at a meeting others will have noticed.. Fill in the staff survey, speak to a non exec?

Eyesightshut - I know what you mean about patient safety. Most of what she does is questionable but not actually dangerous; outdated practice that doesn't follow current guidelines and isn't based on any evidence. If I saw that she was causing harm to patients I would obviously correct it and possibly raise awareness of it with regulatory bodies.

I'm not working with her directly for much longer but will have professional contact with her forever (well till she retires!). So not as easy as it seems to leave feedback...

Would she be registered with HCPC? Could you contact them for advice or union?

I do feel for you, I've just left a job where I was being bullied by a manager who has previously ruined peoples careers and if I stayed I think she would have done the same to mine. Whistleblowing in the NHS is bollocks and all the shite spouted by people about it being a duty blah blah have never been in this position. (I say that as someone who 12 months ago would have been saying exactly that!)

I know it's really harsh but you need to look after yourself. If you are leaving then make sure she can't do anything to jeopardise your future if you are still working in the same field. I feel I have very much compromised my own professional values by not reporting my previous manager however knowing what has gone on in the past to others I also felt I needed to get out asap with minimal fuss and move on with my career somewhere else. I don't always feel good about that but I think I'd be feeling worse if I was unable to continue in a career I've worked so hard for.

Littleblackno - that is the advice everyone in RL has given me. It just feels so wrong, that she is allowed to completely shaft the system and get well paid for it. When there are so many highly qualified people who could do her job a million times better emigrating when they finish training, because there are no posts for them. (I will soon be one ).

This is really awful OP. I know how you feel, having just started a formal grievance procedure myself. Yes, it is the NHS!

How on earth is she still in post?

Shouldn't extended absence or lateness in itself prompt disciplinary?

As I said in my previous post, I have worked with someone like this, and after witnessing them doing something potentially harmful to a patient I had had enough and spoke to them about it. They threw a hissy fit, verbally abused another member of staff and then stormed off claiming they were being bullied. I documented EVERYTHING rational for the reason I addressed the safety issue with them, cross referenced with relevant policy and procedures and how and where I spoke to them. Ended up with a disciplinary for them and them being moved from the department on a final warning. Don't stand for this sort of shit!

I agree it felt so wrongnot reporting her but I knew others had done and it ended badly for them i couldn't afford to put myself in that position. I'm so much happier now in my new job. I don't want to go into all the details of what went on but I wasn't the only one it was happening to.