Hospital/Doctors appointments

[chuckieegg2008]

Hi I was just after some advice. Ive recently been diagnosed with an overactive thyroid and need to have regular appointments at hospital/doctors. I know legally that my employer does not have to give me time off work for appointments but these appointments are really important.
Im on medication that can make my white blood cells low and I need to have an urgent blood test, this happened on Wednesday and I asked to finish work an hour earlier for my appointment. My manager wouldn't allow me, I asked if I could have a shorter lunch, start early/finish later the next day to make the time up but it was still no even though there were plenty of staff in.
Im stressing out now, worried incase this is going to happen often, I'm on this medication for the next 18 months and will need to have regular blood tests during this time. I work mon - fri so can't arrange appointments on my days off.

This annoys me. As you say, you could get an appointment first thing and be in later. Are you in a union? Even if we did evening appointments this would not help as the bloods need to be transported to the lab. Could you see if your surgery does extended hours in the morning. (We do 7-8am appointments one day a week) and blood tests are great in these as we don't have to think as much 😄.

I would love to know how the boss would manage if it were him/her.

You are covered under the Equality Act 2010 if you have "a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities."

I would suggest that being prevented from accessing interventions such as blood tests which monitor your condition would be in contravention of the Act.