Nhs employment issue help!

[EggTheParrot]

I've worked for the nhs for 10 years, I am an advanced clinician, I have worked for my current trust for 10 months and been off sick for 5 months because I was diagnosed with cancer.

I've had surgery that has cured my cancer but disabled me to the point I can not return to my current job, I have been open with my manager from day 1, he has not been supportive at all. I had asked occupational health to consider listing me for redeployment out of my department into one that has no patient handling. This process is starting on Friday with a meeting with HR.

Last week I interviewed for and got a role in a different trust where I can still use my skills and not have to do excessive lifting or patient handling. It honestly is the most perfect role. He is aware I am looking for more suitable employment so this appointment will not come as a shock to him.

Obviously nhs employment is long and laborious but when do I tell my manager about my new role and how do I word my email saying I no longer wish to be considered for redevelopment, do not need the meeting with hr and yet keep my nhs service?

Am I penned in to having to go through the motions despite knowing I will be leaving the trust regardless of the process? My gp has signed me off til the end of October anyway but that's specifically because I cannot do my job as it is now. It won't stop me starting my new job because I won't be doing physical handling.

Notice period is trust specific so 4 weeks.

Hello, I'm sorry to hear of your troubles and congrats on the new job. The good news is really you don't have much to worry about. There is automatic transfer of continuous service for the purposes of things like annual leave, redundancy when anyone moves between NHS trusts (in England) for any reason, so long as you have no more than a week's break in employment, plenty of people move around the system and don't lose their service as a result.

So all you really have to do is wait until you have your full clearance, unconditional offer letter etc from your new trust, resign from your old job giving 4 weeks notice (although as you're off sick anyway they might be happy to waive that) and then start the new. It's very normal to do it as a 2 stage thing, first you informally mention to whoever needs to know that you have a new job and it's going through checks, then once all that is done you then formally resign/hand in your notice. I assume your new job do know about your period of ill health/disability and the fact you are currently off sick, they will probably want you to have an OH check before starting with them so it might all take a few weeks yet.

I guess it's courteous to tell your manager informally as soon as possible especially if you are putting his name down as reference (although you don't necessarily have to, many places the policy now is that HR give all references not line managers). Personally and assuming your manager is not a total dick that will make things unnecessarily hard as soon as he knows you are leaving (and why would he, this is a good outcome for him too), I would send something now along the lines of:

"Hi Bob, I have some news to share. I have been offered a job as X in Y trust. This is great for me as it's a desk based position when I won't need to do any manual handling. They are going through the normal HR checks at the moment and you might see a reference request come through shortly. As you know these things take a while so I am not sure of my last day yet but I will let you know. I hope this means we won't need that meeting with Sue from HR as I am no longer in need of redeployment but I am happy to chat. All the best, Egg"

That's fantastic thank you!