Being forced out of NHS

[VeryWorried2day]

Hi,

I am very, very worried with life at the moment.
I have almost 20 years in the NHS and am mum to 2 primary aged children. Hubby works shifts and we have no family support (50% grandparents are dead, the other 2 are ill, one terminally ill). We rely 100% on a childminder (who works 8am-6pm).
Problem: job relocated so now have commute and hours changed. Means I always have a shift or 2 every month where I am unable to get childcare as it is until 8pm (with commute home on top). Tried swapping but not having much luck. Tried looking for childcare but none available for that time.
I am forced into resigning. Union have been no help until now (meeting them soon, regional head).
Looked into retraining but will cost £30K and I don't think that is fair on my family.
Is there anything I can do? Asked for shifts to work around husbands shifts in Flexible working request but refused. Hubby also turned down for flexible working.
Can NHS do this? HR not entirely in whole picture. I have 19 years experience!! I only started with this trust 4 years ago and have been messed about since day 1!
If I leave we won't have enough to live on and we will end up losing our home.
Any help?

Oh, I am part time (but do full time whack of out of hours work)!

Why will retraining cost 30K?
What job is it you do?
Why can't you begin applying for other jobs within the NHS now?

I'm not sure what it is you think the NHS are doing that's against you, shift work is just that, hardly ever predictable.

I think you just need to go to HR and gently explain the problem-that you can't get childcare and hence you can't do the shifts. You're happy to do X shifts but no those ones. See what happens.....

Retraining: 9K Uni fees for 2 years and estimated £20K living costs (mortgage/kids/food).
There aren't any other jobs in my field (thanks to the NHS financial crisis). We have never worked shifts before. I am not a nurse.

Isn't there another mum from school that you could ask you have your children on the day that you have to work until 8pm and in return offer them a Friday or Saturday night of babysitting?

Did you appeal the decision re. flexible working? What reason did they give for rejecting it?

Did you go through a consultation process? This happened to me 18 months a go, place closed where I worked, new job too far so was redeployed, however if I didn't choose the job that I was redeployed to I was to have access to job adverts before they came out and to be offered an interview. Also NHS

Are you sure that you couldn't find a local babysitter at all for 6-9pm?

If it is one or two shifts a month, and if you know in advance, can you not get a babysitter to cover? Resigning sounds a bit drastic.

If you do change to a non-shift job, is there nothing which you can do without incurring two years of university costs?

I don't see that you are being forced out. Can't you get a babysitter for the few times there is a problem?

You're not saying anything here that 90% of WOHM mumsnetters don't have to deal with from time to time - shifts, jugglers work and children , commute, lack of family support. It isn't easy, but juggling, hell , it's hardly in itself prejudicial to family life!

NHS is an incredibly flexible employer compared to the private sector. I'm sure if you met them half way and initiated a debate and your ideas, you could work something out.