NHS workers (non medical)

[Freshstarts22]

How are they as employers with things like flexible working, approving annual leave ect? Sorry not really aibu but need to make some quick decisions.

The line manager will probably write up the xmas rota soon and staff will be putting requests in so its something you need to discuss at your interview. What flexible working are you seeking.

Patient facing roles have less flexibility with regards to A/L.

Managers have to keep services going so if more people request leave than can be tolerated you may not get it granted.
Some managers will take into account personal / family circumstances; some will operate systems based on equity eg if you get Xmas off this year you won’t get it next year. There’s no NHS-wide approach and it can be very inconsistent between Trusts.

if you’re new to a role it’s common to say you have made arrangements for leave and get this cleared at job offer stage. But next Xmas things could be different.

My child also has disabilities so it’s a big part thing for me. I’ve put myself on the back burner for years but don’t want to turn this opportunity down. Obviously annual leave doesn’t cover all holidays anyway but I’d really struggle to be refused annual leave when I ask as my options are quite limited.

i don’t actually know too much about the role in terms of how many will be in the team and what the needs of the service are. I don’t want to say anything to outing but it’s community
based with lots of home visits.

I think you need an honest conversation before you accept this job tbh.

I agree you need an honest conversation, leave in patient facing roles can be tricky. Usually it is allocated fairly with a date given by which all leave requests for the next holiday year must be submitted and then the manager will allocate to ensure a fair distribution. Although you are a single parent this doesn't mean you will be prioritised for school holidays, Christmas etc or bank holidays if your service runs on bank holidays. After all, others on the team will have children too and there will be a certain percentage of the workforce who can be off at any one time to maintain services. Eg in a team of 8 this is usually 1 person. In a previous role I had you were limited to 3 weeks in total over a while holiday year during school holidays as this was the only way you could give everybody in the team some school holiday. However, other places have been able to give more leave in school holidays so it isn't always an issue but you need to ask the question.

I am non medical and they're fine with me.

I’ve already accepted the job, it’s not easy to speak to anyone as communication at this stage is just going through HR regarding checks.
It won’t be dire, I have family support, and I won’t be doing a 5 day week anyway but it will be very difficult if annual leave is problematic. I guess these are things I just won’t know until I get to know the team and how the service runs.
Im trying to think of the long term benefits of taking this job, instead of thinking I’ve lost my marbles for giving up a 9-3 term time job.

You'll have more chance in a community role than a hospital role. If you were something like a perinatal nursery nurse, from the ones I know you'd probably be ok to take leave when you want. They often cover big patches and so no one covers when they are on leave for just a week and someone more senior like a nurse has to cover at a higher level if it's longer. But it will depend on the role and what's required.

Yeah it’s definitely more along those lines so that’s hopeful

I think you'll be okay OP, I work in a community team as a clinician who is not a doctor. We also have HCAs, HCSWs and nurses at B4/5. Holidays are pretty flexible. Some teams can offer compressed hours too. Some healthboards don't do time in lieu though.