Restructure in NHS, can someone please help

[NHSdoingmyheadin]

Hi, can someone please help me make sense of my current work situation.

I have been with the NHS for 9 years.

3 Years ago I got a post very close to home (10 minute walk) because the commute with children became difficult.

At the moment I work flexible hours which means that my husband is able to drop children to childcare whilst i start early (730) he drops the car off for me and I work my full hours and collect children. Hence I am bale to work a full time week.

Just been announced that my job is to be relocated 40 miles away. 99.9% certain but there will be a "consultation period" - seems a little like lip service as the manager in other location has already been asked by director to find me a desk.

so my question is this. Its almost impossible for me to go to new location, the added fuel expense (ive worked it out at around 320 a month) and the need to reduce my hours to drop kids off in morning and be back in time for kids in evening means that I will only really be able to be working 25 hours a week.

What are my options? ive been told - i feel quite unreasonably to:
a) buy another car so husband can continue to drop children. (which is an expense we cant afford with 2 kids in full time childcare
b) suck it and see
c) resign....

Can anyone help guide me? sorry for long post but I wanted to get as much info in as possible.

Thank u.

It will be a redundancy situation.

Effectively your role is still available but in another location which is not a 'reasonable' commute. This makes the role in your current location redundant.

They should -

Consult, consult and consult

Explore any suitable alternatives available to minimise risk of redundancy. This could be: other roles at same site, relocation package, negotiation of working pattern to help with childcare (although they don't have to)

Meet with you to discuss above and confirm meetings in writing as well as notifying you that role is relocating in writing too.

As its the NHS I would recommend you call their HR dept and tell them what your boss has said so far... My guess is that they won't be happy

Check with HR but usual NHS policy is to pay your travel expenses to the new location for a period of years following a change to your working location. Ask about flexible working/working from home.

Good luck with getting anything in writing from HR. I was never able to.

I agree this is a redundancy situation. They should be consulting with you along the lines that the proposal is to make your role in your location redundant, but offer you an alternative 40 miles away. They have to take into account personal circumstances when deciding whether an alternative role is 'suitable' or not (ie whether you would be within your rights to refuse it and still get redundancy), and in your circumstances I would say a relocation of that distance would not be 'suitable'.

thank you so much for all replies. I am actively looking for posts, hr dept hasnt been very helpful saying that i need to wait for official information before they will discuss - which i guess i can understand but doesnt help to reduce the anxiety when there are so many rumours floating around.

Will defo check out if any relocation allowance is available. Any one knoe what they might give me if i do get made redundant? Great timimg with xmas round the corner, recruitment alwys seems to slow down in nov time.

No idea what the NHS redundancy policy/package would be, but this link will give you an idea of the minimum/statutory amount:
www.direct.gov.uk/redundancy.dsb

Good luck

good luck, I once had to countsel a several NHS staff who turned up for work and despite the fact the hospital had been in consultation and it had been agreed a move 1/2 mile up the road for months and they had moved the week before, found their ward had been closed and they had been relocated to the four winds whilst on A/l or long weekends

sorry spell check not working :(

It always seems so cloak and dagger... we have band 4 pas who have had their jobs regraded to band 3 even though they are still doing the same job! Its so depressing. Been job hunting for months now and seems like there is nothing out there....