To have a 'sick day' for an endoscopy and colonoscopy?

[Lovelilies]

I work 2 days a week.
Having urgent tests done on Friday for weight loss/anaemia when I'm scheduled to work, so will be off sick that day.
Just received a text from manager saying she 'hopes I'll help the department' out by making up the hours on the days either side of this.
Where do I stand? I work for the NHS if that makes any difference.
Do I need to make up the hours?!

No obviously you're not obliged to . I am NHS and probably would offer to work another day though. It's completely up to you.

Take sick days. I've had both investigations. Three days sick for colonoscopy definitely, one day prep, one day treatment and one day recovery.

My partner has taken leave as he's too embarrassed to talk to manager. Luckily it's a morning appt so bowel prep starts early evening. He'll be fasting the day before though.

Are you having a sedative for the endoscopy? If so you are advised to test for 24 hours after the procedure.

Your manager is a bloody joke. You are SICK and therefore this is sick leave. No one has a colonoscopy or OGD for fun. You're having them for urgent investigations for anaemia and weight loss not as a way to skyve off work.

I'm not trying to worry you any more than you already are, but you're having them done urgently because someone is worried there's something serious causing this. The nature of urgent investigations are is that as the same suggests they do need to be done urgently and you don't get to pick the date/time of them for your or your employers convenience. To be blunt the fact that you're going to have take time off work for these procedures is not your problem.

As I understand it, you do not have to make up the time, (but can if you want to). I don't think in your situation I'd be going out of my way to help out a manager who appears to have absolutely no concern for me or my health and whose only concern is their staffing problem.
The document below outlines things.
www.nhsemployers.org/tchandbook/part-3-terms-and-conditions-of-service/section-14-sickness-absence-for-england-and-wales

You may well not be able to work the day before the colonoscopy as you'll be experiencing the lovely side effects of bowel prep. If you have sedation you can't drive for at least 24 hours after this. If you're not in a fit state to drive, I'd also suggest you're not in a fit state to look after patients.

I'm actually really quite angry on your behalf. What sort of a shitty organisation is more concerned about their employee making up the hours they've had to take off work for urgent investigations than they are concerned about their employees health when said employee is being investigated for a potentially serious problem.

I hope the investigations go ok OP and that the results are reassuring.

On a practical note I found the day before colonoscopy, not eating and drinking huge amounts of laxative and once I started running to the loo............. Can't remember how I felt the next day but I would say working the day before wouldn't be possible, well not for me anyway.

Sick day. Definitely.

For the colonoscopy alone.

The procedure is described as sticking a camera 'up there' to have a look.

In fact, the camera is only a part of it. Alongside the light source, the water blowy outy thingy, the sucky uppy thingy and the air blowy outy thingy to blow the gut wall away from the camera so it can focus.

I was left too scared to fart outside a toilet cubicle for hours afterwards.

With the endoscopy as well, which would entail some sedation, I'd definitely think about taking a couple of days off.

Forgot about the sedative, probably not ideal to work the following day.

YANU your health is more important

Thank you all, I'm wondering what to text her back (if anything). She knows why I'm having these tests, we discussed it last week in my appraisal, when they ask about your health.

Either say nothing or say "no, sorry, I can't make up the hours". No further explanation required or you'll be required to justify why you can't.

She shouldn't be texting you at home about work, I presume she's doing this on personal mobiles? So I'd just ignore the text and either phone her on the ward.
I'm also front line NHS staff, with the exception of maternity appointments now I'm part time I try to book appointments outside of work or make up the hours.
When full time I took it off work if needed.

A scope is not compatible to a regular opa though and if I were your manager I'd consider it same as day surgery and put you down as planned sick leave.

Ring HR. You should not be out of pocket re child care for ward staffing. Cover is your manager's responsibility.

Yes, personal mobiles.

Well I had the both done last year. I felt washed out after the sedation and had a nasty sore throat from the endoscopy. I've had both done several times and have definitely needed at least a full day to recover, even when I was brave enough to do without sedation. For me, the sore throat ( and I mean really sore ) gets me each time.
And I've never been asked to make the time up. Even when I was working in the NHS.

I have had this and I am taken aback at people suggesting you need the next day off. I was working with kids and was back at work next day. Not a job where you can have a quiet day at work.

I often take annual leave to cover medical appointments. I'm entitled to the time off but it would go down as sick and count towards any riggers for absence management. I'm disabled with long term chronic pain. I haven't had a single sick day since I was dx 5 years ago. I feel like I can't take a sick day as it puts a target in my back.

OP is there a reason a sick day could harm you later? I would juggle shifts rather than risk the sick day tbh. But that's my paranoia based on my experience of workplace discrimination. The NHS is unfortunately not immune to it.

Depends on what your job is and what your relationship with your mangers is.
I appreciate having a manger who is very understanding if I want / need any flexibility, so, when I can, I offer them flexibility.
I've had quite a few rather invasive procedures in recent months, and have been well enough to do a few hours work later in the day, but that part of my job isn't physical and I can work at home. If I were having to do a long commute or look smart or do a physical thing or be a long way from a toilet then I wouldn't.
Our team is desperately overstretched so if I can shift a few hours workload, then I will. I know everyone else is the same so it all makes for a happy workplace.

I'm a nurse on an acute ward, so not exactly an 'easy' job!
I requested set days when I came back of mat leave but was turned down, even though other staff have been given set days
I love my job, but am not 'supported' by my manager so don't see why I should bend over backwards, and be out of pocket.
I'll definitely ring HR today and see what the score officially is though.

You can't possibly work the day before a colonoscopy as you need to be very close to a toilet due to the bowel prep

I would check your contract re: sick days and making up time. Sounds unreasonable to me but I don't work in NHS.

I've just texted back "Sorry, that's not possible."

Manager tried to get me to take 'special leave' but spoke to HR and they said sick leave as it's more than 24 hours not fit to work.
Thank you for al your responses 😁

Glad it's been sorted x

Glad HR could help. At my place we have appointments categorised as disability leave and then recovery and sickness as sick leave (both paid) so everywhere is different!

I worked at a GP surgery in 2015/2016 and had to have three colonoscopies within 6 months of each other (long story). I had to take annual leave for all of them and swap my days for other investigative procedures. I was very poorly afterwards (related to other health issues) and I had to take annual leave for those days too. I left shortly afterwards!

Good on HR and well done to you for not taking it lying down. As it were.