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Original poster

Help, am I allowed to request a dating scan at the weekend?

42 replies

Stardelight · 02/05/2023 10:58

Call me dim, but can I request a dating scan on a weekend? I work during the week and so does the baby's father who wants to be there at the scan. I'm 13+5 and I have my booking appointment tomorrow, it's late due to me being ill and unable to attend my previous appointment. God knows when my dating scan will be but I was hoping it could be done on the weekend or preferably tomorrow as I have that day booked off. Can I refuse a weekday appointment as I just can't get the time off work.

OP posts:

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QuickNameChangeForMeToday · 02/05/2023 11:00

Your work are legally obliged to give you time off for the appointment.

Hoppinggreen · 02/05/2023 11:01

you have to be allowed time off

MaggieFS · 02/05/2023 11:02

I agree with pp that work have to let you go.

You may well find that your hospital only offer them M-F but you can ask, however perhaps try and ask nicely rather than refuse what you're being offered? It's an odd way to phrase it, especially when you're so late.

shieldmaiden7 · 02/05/2023 11:03

Legally they have to let you and legally the baby's father is allowed to attend two appointments.

avocadotofu · 02/05/2023 11:03

I agree with previous posters. They have to give you time off.

Original poster

Stardelight · 02/05/2023 11:06

Work can be abit iffy about me taking time off but I don't drive due to illness and the hospital is 1.5 hours-2 hours away via public transport. That means taking 4 hours for travel plus the appointment time which means me taking taking the whole day off work more or less. Plus I then have to catch up with work when I return the next day, which is a lot of messing about as it can be hard to catch up with past work. The baby's father drives but he can't take time off from his job to take me to every appointment. I had cholestasis in my last pregnancy which meant lots of appointments and time off work which I want to avoid this time if possible. My work can be really stressful so I want to minimise the distribution and reduce any extra stress.

OP posts:

Tryingtoconceivenumber2 · 02/05/2023 11:06

I have not heard of any appointments being offered at the weekend for NHS scans in our area.

Not sure if you have flexible working but could you possibly ask for a very early scan, they started at 8.30am in our area or late afternoon appointment x

TeaKitten · 02/05/2023 11:07

No, nobody can request anything with scans normally as they are too busy, routine scan clinics don’t often run on the weekend. And also they just don’t need to because you are legally allowed time off work for these appointments. It’s a real shame if your partner can’t make it but it’s your personal medical appointment so unfortunately his work isn’t relevant to the NHS

RhubarbandCustardYummyYummy · 02/05/2023 11:07

You can ask all you want but even when booking weeks in advance with the NHS pressures it tends to be ‘take it or leave it’. I recently had to wait 8 days for an urgent growth scan….. guidelines suggested should have been offered within max 72hrs (and April is a low birth month….)

Ttcmumma · 02/05/2023 11:08

Hey, in my experience I wasn't even allowed to change to a different time on the same day. I was advised to take what I'm given otherwise it would be weeks to months before another appointment at which I still wouldn't be able to choose the day or time!

Original poster

Stardelight · 02/05/2023 11:11

I'm not refusing, they gave me a booking appointment which I had to cancel due to being in bed for a week with the flu, I couldn't lift my head off my pillow. Then the only booking appointment they could offer me was over 4 weeks later which is tomorrow. I have been for a private scan at 12 weeks to check baby as I was a little worried and everything looked great, the sonographer who completed the scan works for the NHS and she said baby looked to be developing well. However I haven't had my nhs scan yet and I was hoping I could have it on a weekend as I will struggle to get time off work due to reasons mentioned above. I just wanted to know if this is something they offer.

OP posts:

CocoPlum · 02/05/2023 11:15

Is your booking appointment at the hospital? Here you have booking at community appointment, no scans available at those. Our hospital antenatal clinic for routine scans is closed at weekends.

I appreciate not wanting to be difficult with appointments in work hours but you have legal protection for these appointments and there are many other women who have to attend during their work hours too.

JamHam · 02/05/2023 11:21

Just call in sick OP.

Original poster

Stardelight · 02/05/2023 11:26

Thanks everyone, I feel more informed. I will continue to have my private scans. I understand everyone saying how I'm legally protected but in some workplaces it isn't as easy. My workplace can be quite toxic and stressful at times and I'd rather reduce the stress to myself and my baby and keep my job!

OP posts:

updin · 02/05/2023 11:28

My DH couldn't get time off for scans so we had to book private ones for him to attend. NHS were always weekdays.

Original poster

Stardelight · 02/05/2023 11:47

Its not really about the baby's father attending. Of course it would be great if he was to attend. The issues is I work 7 hours per days, 4 of those hours will be spent travelling and then however long it takes at the appointment. Thats providing buses are not cancelled or running late. This means taking almost a full day off work to attend appointments rather than an hour or 2. Say I have 2 or 3 appointments a week like my last pregnancy such as growth scan, bloods, baby monitoring with the bands around tummy (not sure what's it's called) etc then that's a lot of time off. I had OC in my last pregnancy which meant weekly bloods, baby monitoring and then growth scans, I also had bells palsy caused by pregnancy so I was off work for a time and I was induced at 36 weeks due to complications. I just want to minimise all the stress. I understand I have rights and I'm protected but it isn't always as a simple as that in some workplaces even though it's law. Hence why if I could possibly have some appointments on a weekend. Of course I know this isnt always possible. If needs be I can always have private scans if I decline NHS appointments, I just worry I may get in trouble somehow. Thank you.

OP posts:

Original poster

Stardelight · 02/05/2023 11:48

Thanks again everyone. I will if needed refuse my ultrasound scan and have it elsewhere at time that is convenient.

OP posts:

Yoyooo · 02/05/2023 11:50

OP you have rights, use them.

SheilaFentiman · 02/05/2023 11:55

I don’t think you have any chance of getting a routine scan on a weekend, op. I appreciate the difficulty that what the law allows and what work gets cross about are not the same.

Notyetthere · 02/05/2023 12:03

Yoyooo · 02/05/2023 11:50

OP you have rights, use them.

This! Make the most of these rights. My understanding is that you don't even have to make up the hours missed at work due to these appointments. It can be awkward with some work places and it was with mine but I had most of my first trimester off due to severe sickness. I informed my boss quite early in the pregnancy so that any time off work wouldn't be recorded as sickness leave. Now I'm back to work full time with baby almost 2 years old, I don't think it matters. I stressed about taking so much time off work at the time but now looking back, nobody cares.

Sissynova · 02/05/2023 12:04

I personally think you’re just being a bit quick to refuse your nhs 12 week scan. You don’t have weekly appointments so far and all the appointments won’t take place in the hospital so it won’t be this big convoluted full day thing every time. Plus the travel time doesn’t have to all be in work time.
If you get to the hospital for a 9am scan you can be back in work before lunch.
Or if your partner takes the time off for it which he is legally entitled to do he could drive you back to work.

concerned145 · 02/05/2023 12:06

Could you move hospitals? I did in one of my pregnancies. Doesn't sound very practical you not driving and the hospital being that far yet your partner won't be able to attend? You may struggle as you get further along & have appointments fortnightly etc.

Littlegoth · 02/05/2023 12:08

@Stardelight you are entitled to paid time off for your maternity appointments. They can’t refuse you and if they do it’s maternity discrimination. If they are snotty about it or openly grumpy to you this is maternity discrimination. Your baby takes priority, go to your appointment. it doesn’t matter if it’s an hour or 4 hours, you are legally protected. I’m yet to have a maternity appointment that has been less than a half day - and I have them every 2 weeks. It’s how it is.

Littlegoth · 02/05/2023 12:09

Other people are correct too - you don’t make this time up. If they try to make you .. that’s right …. it’s maternity discrimination.

ExcitingTimes2021 · 02/05/2023 12:16

You would have to check what your local hospital offers In way of weekend appointment but I believe the majority don’t offer for routine scan as they don’t have the capacity to.
iv had a similar situation myself. They could only offer me inconvenient times for myself for my dating scan and when I called to try get an alternative appointment they said they are extremely busy and have lost 2 full days due to the bank holidays so I can take or leave the appointment offered. And I work for the bloody Trust too! Didn’t appreciate the way I was spoken to but hay ho.
Basically I’m on night shifts that week and they could only give me a day where I don’t have any childcare for my toddler. So to make my appointment i have had to pay an extra £65 for my child to go to nursery an extra day. I’ll will finish my night shift at 07.30, take my child to nursery and then drive straight back to the hospital I have literally just left to have my dating scan…

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