Work advice please

[babblebeee]

Hi all. I'm 4/5 weeks pregnant. I work in an acute psychiatric ward so have told my manager due to the risks of the job. I have been told to work as usual for now and then will go onto non clinical duties at some point.

I work 13 hour shifts, often without a break due to staffing issues or incidents on the ward. There is always a risk of violence and a risk of having to assist in restraints.

So has anyone been been pregnant and worked in a similar role? I told my manager straight away as I wanted some guidance, but feel more confused about what I should and shouldn't be doing and feel so worried about going to work

OP, have they done a formal risk assessment for you? If not, schedule a formal meeting with your line manager to do this and raise all those points with them.

I've had a meeting and was told that I should carry on as normal for now as they haven't read the policy yet. I explained my concerns and was told not to take part in restraints, but sometimes that's easier said than done when you are short staffed or in danger

Hello OP. I am a Prison Officer so like you work in a volatile environment and also have to get involved in restraints. Because of this, I told them pretty much as soon as I found out. This is a high risk pregnancy as I am also Type 1 Diabetic but I wouldn't risk being around prisoners who could do my baby harm. As soon as I told them, they conducted a risk assessment and removed me from the landings. I am now doing light duties away from any prisoner contact and they are being careful what those light duties include. They should also be considering Coronavirus - we often don't have the luxury of social distancing when things kick off so they should add an extra layer of protection for you so that you can follow stringent social distancing at all times. Keep pushing them! Xx

Thanks for your reply, really useful. They haven't been able to do the risk assessment yet but have put me on to day shifts as there will be more staff so can have less patient contact and won't have to assist in restraints so I feel a lot better knowing there's some more support