Pregnant paramedic - not allowed to do my job

[nadgersbadgers]

Yes I've posted this in employment issues - you nest of vipers, please help me. AIBU? Because I feel I'm being discriminated against because I'm pregnant. The decision has been taken from my hands and seems very little information will be disseminated to me from V senior management other than "sorry".

I'm nearly 15 weeks - told work last week that I am pregnant. They stood me down from my shifts over the weekend awaiting a risk assessment. All got signed off and I was due in work on Tuesday - only to get a call to say stood down again while an "issue" gets checked.

Today I emailed the general manager of my area to ask if any update and they replied "could you be happy doing some admin for me".

I asked "am I not allowed to return to my substantive patient facing role"

To which his reply is "no, due to COVID risk assessment"

.... I've not seen this RA but asked to, also asked if I can appeal. See I've had COVID and all 3 vaccines. I'm not scared of catching it - I didn't when my children had it last week.

I want to remain front line. I want to work. I do not want to do admin (which there will be very little of, from home) as I'm struggling mentally I need to work and be out of t he house and doing my job I've trained to do. Being pregnant doesn't effect that. I have a force 8 fitted respirator mask - I could wear a vent hood if they prefer but I want to do my job.

Where do I stand? Legally?

Should add this has big financial implications for me as I work contractually part time (23.5 hrs a week) to fit in with when I have secure child care but I also offer up and do at least 12 hours per week additional / more as abs whwn I can. I've already missed 5 OT shifts due to stand down while they did the RA and I have nearly 80 hrs annual leave still to take before March - during which I was planning on working - to earn more £ for when my mat pay is calculated.

I do empathise OP. I am a frontline police officer and was off the frontline immediately when I said I was pregnant. This didn't bother me as I'd been to some risky jobs before I told them and ultimately the baby's safety comes first for me. However, I lost out financially before I'd even gone on mat leave! No overtime, fewer unsociable hours, no bank holiday pay... I was hundreds of pounds down a month and had a less exciting role. Emergency services aren't compatible with pregnancy

@TyrannosaurusRegina I'd do a dynamic risk assessment and if a patient is ever that much of a threat we would both leave and ask for police. That's what we do.

@Wiltshire90 😩 sucks

[quote nadgersbadgers]@Recycledblonde you don't have to though - in my trust there's a risk assessment and you're allowed to remain doing your job and they have to make reasonable adjustments for you to make it safer.

Except not now due to COVID apparently. [/quote]
Yes you have to. No choice as soon as you tell management.

@PinkMoon22 it is just for COVID reasons as the standard risk assessment cleared me for work.

It's for COVID risk assessment written nearly 2 years ago.

I can see why this has annoyed you.

May I just ask how you keep yourself safe whilst doing a dynamic risk assessment, and, as you’ve had covid three times already, what would you want to happen if a new variant came out (which it will) but was more serious than what we’ve seen recently?

Are there any roles you could work in triage in A and E for instance (where you have more support for violent instances say?)

This was pre-Covid, but this pregnant police officer won a tribunal when something similar happened www.redmans.co.uk/pregnant-on-the-front-line-discrimination-against-a-female-police-officer-devon-and-cornwall-police-v-town-2020-ukeat-0194-19-1009/

[quote Seaswimmingdeservesasunnyday]This was pre-Covid, but this pregnant police officer won a tribunal when something similar happened www.redmans.co.uk/pregnant-on-the-front-line-discrimination-against-a-female-police-officer-devon-and-cornwall-police-v-town-2020-ukeat-0194-19-1009/[/quote]
That officer still wasn't working front line though, she was allowed to stay on her team and department which is what happened to me. However I still lost out financially by not being able to do all the aspects of the frontline role even if I could stay on my team.

I don’t know how well you get on personally with your immediate managers/hr reps/regional managers but in your position I think I would pick the one I could best talk with and explain about the financial and wellbeing implications of the reduced duties. I’d try to be really upfront with them, and explain about how you worked normally til 29 weeks last time, and ask them to help you find suitable duties up to 29 weeks that will give you the opportunity to earn overtime and the stimulation to stay well. I would expect there to be a solution that will help you and them. If you know when the qualifying payslip for smp will be, it could be that you could take on a standalone project for that month? Maybe they’ve been wanting to improve a particular process for ages and you could devote a bunch of time to it that just wouldn’t be possible normally?

You have a very strong Union, if anything happened that caused injury say lifting a patient or Covid. Your employer would be sued to cause maximum arse-ache as well as maximum compensation for you.
Even if you are willing to work for longer and take small risks as you are do every shift. It would still be the employer at fault.

Everything else aside, if you were my crewmate I wouldn't be comfortable working with someone who was 20+ weeks pregnant.
Our job is volatile. Physical. Unpredictable.
We cannot predict who or when or what we go to.
Yes, we have the autonomy of DNA but it doesn't always pan out like that does it?
You would be putting enormous pressure on your colleagues on shift. The heavy lift, the clambering under a train, the CBLD in the smallest space imaginable. The scenarios are endless.

I think it's the fact that you rely on OT to bump up your pay that is perhaps clouding your own judgement.

Could you not be seconded to CHUB and pick up OT there?

Frankly, I was happy doing CPIs when I was pregnant - it was a welcome rest! Boring but safer.

I get all the thinking and reasoning, but it seems really shit that it impacts earnings and mat pay so much.

@AlphaAlpha well I'm not currently - I'm only 14.4

We in the past have women work right up til over 35 weeks on the road. My management are really supportive. This is from above them.

Crikey. In 23 years of service I've never known anyone go over 20/40 out on the road, let alone 35/40.
I'm struggling to comprehend how even the basic ambulance duties would be carried out at that stage in pregnancy let alone more complex situations and interventions like intubating.

@AlphaAlpha we don't intubate any more (only CCPs and the LOM)

[quote nadgersbadgers]@TyrannosaurusRegina I'd do a dynamic risk assessment and if a patient is ever that much of a threat we would both leave and ask for police. That's what we do. [/quote]
Surely if it was that simple then no paramedics would ever get assaulted? I'm a mental health nurse, risk assessment is part of my daily job however there are occasions where assaults do occur, despite robust risk assessment.

I’m surprised they let you on the road even pre-Covid. Our trust takes all pregnant women off the road as soon as they’re aware that they’re pregnant. They usually work up on the clinical support desk or do admin type stuff like training and audit.