Manager refusing time off work for appointment

[user78754567]

I have an hospital appointment next Friday and asked my manager if I can take a day holiday or unpaid to attended the appointment and he refused. He told me he can’t give me a whole day off for the appointment only half a day. The hospital is a 6 hour round trip so no chance of me been able to work. Aibu to take a sick day?

@malikaqi

Cancer is considered a disability under uk law. Confirm you will be attending your appointment and if he makes a fuss you will consider it discrimination. See Macmillan.org.uk for details Of your rights. It's is a reasonable adjustment required because of your disability.

This This This

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

Do you work full time? I have a co worker who only does 2 days a week yet she is always booking medical appointments on her working days... I have to admit I can understand why it would frustrate our boss that she can't ever seem to manage to coordinate any of them to be on her non working days, and she never offers to swap days either (which is what I do when I have one where a lot of the time I am taking off is travel time etc)

Are you in the U.K.?

In the U.K. the majority of hospital appointments are just sent out to patients with a day and time...you don’t get to choose

yet she is always booking medical appointments

Surely most of the time you get told when it is, you don't get to choose? And some clinics are only on set days.

Appointment for cancer then just go, obviously!

Don’t bother with calling in sick, though. Just say you are attending the required medical appointment on that day and will not be at work.

www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/coping/practically/the-disability-discrimination-act-equality-act-and-cancer

Badyboo

I happen to be under the same clinic as her for one of the things. The appointments are easy to move and there's a choice of three days, two of which are when she doesnt work, so its terribly coincidental that every single appointment lands on a working day.

I can't believe so many people think it's unreasonable to expect the OP not to be given unpaid time off for a hospital appointment. It's not like a dentist appointment where there is a choice of times. Hospital appointments are allocated to you and there's rarely any flexibility about timing.

Your manager is out of order. Do they know the reason?

My staff holiday ratios account for the fact that someone may drop in an emergency. With difficulty we manage.

I would contact hr and ask them to support you and the manager who clearly needs some coaching vis a vis management style and employment law.

Wow, my NHS department is running on practically zero staff but we don't get treated like this. If we have an appointment we can go but we have to take annual leave.
It's not as though you can be picky about your appointments, the NHS is inundated at the moment.

You need to go ask again if he refuses tell him your going to have to escalate it .
I presume you have given him as much notice as possible not sat on it for weeks then asked at last minute.
Ring and ask about changing appointment time scale ( don't do it but shows you have tried to provide a solution yourself )
Do make sure he know it's whats it for

I hope that your cancer treatment is successful OP, or if you have not got cancer, you find out at your appointment on Friday.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland there seem to be people such as you describe who arrange domestic appointments that they have some choice over in such a way as to miss work time more than needed.

The OP is not one of them though.

@rwalker

You need to go ask again if he refuses tell him your going to have to escalate it . I presume you have given him as much notice as possible not sat on it for weeks then asked at last minute. Ring and ask about changing appointment time scale ( don't do it but shows you have tried to provide a solution yourself ) Do make sure he know it's whats it for

Cancer targets mean that someone who is referred has to be seen in 2 weeks....so a few days notice would be the norm here

@Shehasadiamondinthesky

Wow, my NHS department is running on practically zero staff but we don't get treated like this. If we have an appointment we can go but we have to take annual leave. It's not as though you can be picky about your appointments, the NHS is inundated at the moment.

I’ve worked for NHS trusts all my working life and never once had to take annual leave for a hospital appointment

With additional info then yes this would be discrimination on the grounds of disability.
www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/discrimination-at-work/checking-if-its-discrimination/check-if-your-problem-at-work-is-discrimination/
Cancer is automatically treated as a disability
"Some impairments are automatically treated as a disability, even if they don't affect your day-to-day activities. You’ll be covered if you:

have cancer, including growths that need removing before they become cancerous"

I thought it was illegal to refuse time for medical appointments?

As someone who also lives in North Wales it's ridiculous that he doesn't understand that there is no alternative to the whole day trip. I would tell him that you are going, as others have said cancer is classified as a disability so it protected. I honestly can't believe someone would refuse to let someone have time off for cancer treatment.

I just saw your update.
DEFINITELY tell them you are taking the day off.
Your health is so much more important than some job where they treat you so shittily.
If you've been there over 2 years, like I said TELL them do not ask.
I'm willing to bet that HR will back you up. Especially with the information upthread regarding disability

@Kitkat151

My point about as much notice if she only had 2 weeks notice and gave him 2 weeks fine . IF she had 2 weeks notice and gave him 2 days notice that was my question .

Many many private companies don't pay or make you take A/L for appointment or you have to make the time back up .

If it can't be changed, without any delay whatsoever, inform them that you are going. Full stop. But politely.
If your position is made untenable because of this, contact your union If you are a member/ start a formal grievance/ consider leaving as a constructive dismissal claim ( if your period of service gives you employment rights)

An urgent appointment for cancer at a hospital that specialises in your condition - bloody hell, your manager is unreasonable. Are they quoting the standard 'half day for a medical appointment' policy without realising how far you have to travel? I think this is something to take to your manager's manager.

have you told the manager the reason?

If I was refused time off unpaid, I would think I was being managed out.

Have you tried to re-arrange for another day? I would do that first, depending on how urgently unneeded to be seen.

I may well smile sweetly, say I've rearranged it, and then take two days off sick, but that would be a last resort.

I suspected cancer. Because no matter what some posters seem to believe, no rational person gets (or requests?!??) appointments to hospitals miles and miles away and go through the whole time off stress for an ingrown toe nail or whatever other trivial reason.

I hope you're ok OP.

@user78754567

I think it really depends what the appointment is for. Did op come back to say?

Cancer

Not being facetious, is it a definite or suspected diagnosis? Check up following historic treatment or recent treatment? Or for treatment?
Is your employer aware of the cancer?

[quote BusyLizzie61]@user78754567

I think it really depends what the appointment is for. Did op come back to say?

Cancer

Not being facetious, is it a definite or suspected diagnosis? Check up following historic treatment or recent treatment? Or for treatment?
Is your employer aware of the cancer?[/quote]
Does it make a difference? All of those appointments are important, and I would hope anyone would prioritise them over work.