Can anyone help with this work situation?

[H0TBUZZARDY]

My child needs to attend a hospital for 12 weeks, from 9:30 until 4:30. I work full time hours 9-5, but will need to take two hours off each day to take and collect.
My question is, should I take this as annual leave? I can work flexible hours but two hours each day is more than I want to do really. Or do I have any rights to take this off as it's my child, like compassionate or something?

Anyone know?

I think go to them with a plan for making up some of the hours and see what they say. I'm fairly confident mine would fine a way to do some at least as compassionate leave. Could you gain 2.5 hours a week back straight away by shortening your lunch break?

I would try to do a patchwork solution. Say 10 hours a week could be 2.5 hours worked in lunchtimes, 2.5 hours worked outside normal hours, 2.5h paid compassionate leave, 2.5 hours unpaid. If I were your manager I'd come back more generous than that but as the employee I'd be wanting to show willing to minimise the impact on the business.

If your child qualifies as having a disability you have a right to take parental leave in days instead of whole weeks, but a good employer will offer so much more flexibility than this anyway.

Should have said best wishes to your child. I hope they feel better very soon. It must be very distressing for you all. Look after yourself, take your mood and mental health seriously and remember you can self certify for your mental health for up to 5 days, and see a GP if you need more time off. The last thing your child or your work needs is you making yourself ill trying to do too much.

Is there a possibility to drop DC off a bit early and/or pick up a bit late. As they are 15 they can be left on their own at the hospital for an hour or so I would have thought. If you could drop off early and get back for 9, take 30 mins for lunch then you would hardly be missing any working hours.

My work just let me get on with it when I had to take DH to radiotherapy every day for 6 weeks. It was an hour drive each way.
They were very understanding and I am forever grateful.

You need to discuss with your manager.

Assuming this is for treatment rather than say work experience, if you were a member of my team I’d say to crack on and do what you need to. No messing with annual leave or officially making up hours.

can your child’s father/family members help out? Even for a week each, that way you’d be using less annual leave/unpaid leave.