Lots of appointments during working hours

[OhDon]

I'm a bit nervous about this situation as I've been informed my work are 'clamping down' on absences including lots of appointments for dr's, dentist etc... During working hours. They have now started asking us to fill in forms every time we have to leave for an appointment (fine).

My problem is that I have a lot of appointments. I had a big issue with a pregnancy which triggered all sorts of things (lost the baby) and I now have to see the recurrent miscarriage clinic, genetics department and haematology department. The hospital I have to go to for these is about an hour and a half away because I have to use the large city centre one rather than our smaller local hospital due to the complexity.

In the past few months I've had to have around 5/6 appointments with these various departments and I have another two coming up next week.

I don't know what to do really. If I want a child I need to keep going to these appointments and work with the hospital to (hopefully) make that happen. At the same time I feel incredibly guilty that work is under a lot of strain and I keep having to be off.

AIBU to continue as I am doing? No one has specifically said anything to me but I'm just aware that I have a hell of a lot more appointments than other colleagues (and it probably won't be stopping in the very near future either).

My brain is all over the place at the minute with everything so I may be worrying about nothing but I can't stop thinking about it.

Are the appointment paid? Could you take any of them as holiday?

I think I'd be a bit concerned if they say they are clamping down. Is your employer aware of the reasons for the appointments?

Can you agree to make up the hours?

Can you move the appointments to the start or end of the day so that you're showing you've tried? Make best friends with the consultants' secretaries!

You need to declare them as pregnancy related for HR so they're not counted as "Normal" absence if it's a miscarriage related or antenatal apt etc

You have legal protection for those apts

@PlutocratCow The protected period ends two weeks after the loss of pregnancy. It doesn't include investigations after this time.

Surely you are taking them as annual leave or unpaid so not sure what the issue is.

As long as you are giving enough notice for them to approve the leave, if not appointments need to be changed

I think it also depends on working hours. If your working hours are 9-5 Monday to Friday it might be almost impossible as, even taking the first or last appointment, you'd still need to leave around 3ish and wouldn't be in until 11ish.

If there are shifts available and you work have time in the day when you could feasibly make it to an appointment and back before work/make it without leaving work, then you might be best trying to arrange some for those times.

Where I work there's an expectation that appointments that you can choose (within reason) the timings for should be done in your holidays/ days off- so for example, routine dental check-ups . However, hospital appointments are allocated according to clinic timings and so you can't control these- your management should be understanding of this.

Aren't you using annual leave for them? I can't see the issue if so. If not then it is taking the piss.

OP you will find they are not trying to clamp down on people like you.

They are trying to reduce the number of people scheduling appointments for things like repeat pill prescriptions, routine check ups, travel vaccinations etc slap bang in the middle of the day.

I had v similar situation to you with a lot of appts and travel time. I did what I could (not much) to minimise impact on work, was honest about why & got nothing but sympathy. The people who were judged were the part time staff booking GP appointments for really non urgent stuff on their work days & never their off days.

and to all the people suggesting you ought to be using annual leave... wtf?

Have you ever had miscarriages & recurrent miscarriage testing etc? Jog on if not. You get no choice about when the clinics are held & are referred for this testing, it is medically necessary, often not simply about fertility as can be indicative of other things being wrong.

I have a lot of appointments because DC1 has complex SN. Slightly different as it isn't me. I do a mix of:

taking AL
unpaid
working time out before the appointment.

I think the employers ARE trying to clamp down on OP but obviously can’t refer to her individually. If you’re not taking is as annual leave, I think you are being unreasonable. I wouldn’t be happy with a colleague disappearing for hours whilst I was being paid to do all the work.

I do use annual leave for them when I can but I've been having so many I can't use it for every single one.

I've said I can take it as unpaid but they have never deducted my wages so?

As it's hospital appointments it's really hard to get them to change them once they've been allocated. I also work 9-5 so no shifts to schedule them around unfortunately

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland it’s not medically necessary at all. It’s her choice to have these tests, no one is forcing her.

Can’t you make the time back? I had similar issues when pregnant first time but my work operates between 8 while 8 so I just either started early or finished later to fit in the appointments, as long as I got my daily 7 hours in, that’s the benefit of flexi hours for a lot of companies and staff these days. I never left my colleagues to pick up the slack as it’s unfair.

Yanbu. Sorry for your loss.
I think be open and honest about the reasons for the appointments and see if that helps.
Also depending on what stage of pregnancy loss, you may be protected under the Equality Act. I lost babies at 27 weeks and had maternity leave, also was protected generally until (I think) 6 months post birth. So not always true that it's only two weeks.
I hope you get the support you need and some answers xxx

Wtf people act like they're on crack on here.

OP carry on as you are, it is your health and your work are only "clamping down" because theres probably one or two taking the piss without genuine appointments. So dont worry, put it out of your mind and carry on as you are.

Zebraaa I'm not saying it's this but it could be something like a Hughes Syndrome which does cause miscarriage but also has other extremely serious implications so the tests may not just be 'her choice', they might be medically necessary.

YANBU, as long as you are taking the time unpaid. If they CBA to deduct the time, that’s their problem. You can’t change hospital appointments, especially fertility ones - you’ll never get back in!
Prioritise yourself, your health and your hopefully future baby. Work is not more important than that!

oh Zebraa do give over. Not necessary? You wouldn't bother to find out if you had e.g. a potentially lethal blood clotting disorder, or unknown adenomyosis, or a host of other things?? Don't be so mean.

They are trying to reduce the number of people scheduling appointments for things like repeat pill prescriptions, routine check ups, travel vaccinations etc slap bang in the middle of the day.

An employer has no legal right to ask what your appointment is for, they are also not obliged to give you time off, or if they do, they are not obliged to pay you either.

~~

There is no general statutory right to time off, either paid or unpaid, to attend routine medical or dental appointments. However, employees may well have a contractual right to time off in these circumstances and, depending on the terms of the employment contract, this might be either paid or unpaid and a maximum duration for each appointment might be specified. It is not unreasonable to request employees to make doctor and dentist appointments outside of normal working hours insofar as this is possible, or at least to make sure that appointments are made at either the beginning or the end of the working day so as to minimise disruption.
Medical or dental emergencies requiring urgent, unforeseen medical or dental attention are likely to fall within the remit of sickness absence, as are cases where the employee is to be admitted to hospital as an inpatient, for example to undergo an operation. In this case, either statutory or contractual sick pay will be due.
Where an employee is pregnant, she has a specific statutory right under ss.55 and 56 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 to reasonable time off work with pay to attend antenatal appointments made on the advice of a doctor, midwife or registered nurse. Antenatal care may include relaxation and parent craft classes as well as medical examinations. Except in the case of the first appointment, the employer can require the employee to produce medical confirmation of the pregnancy (a Mat B1 form) and an appointment card showing that the antenatal appointment has been made.
An employee who is a prospective father, or the partner of a pregnant woman, can take unpaid time off to attend up to two antenatal appointments.

Zebraaaa a doctor are you?

OP could have serious autoimmune issues, thyroid problems, blood clotting disorders, hormone/endocrine issues causing the problems. All of which could pose serious risk to her own health.

Her GP will have recommended she have these tests much as someone is recommended for testing for any serious health condition.

Remove the association that fertility is the only issue here. It may not be. If you had a colleague with cancer in this position you would not take this view.

However, the burden should be on the employer to ensure work is covered, not by overstretching other staff.

You are not being unreasonable at all. Carry on as you are, don't use your annual leave.

So sorry for your loss

No one bloody forces anyone to have health treatment (other than where someone is sectioned eg mental health).