Unreasonable HR request?

[Elbowedout]

I work in a senior role within my organisation and have been off sick with a serious illness since early Spring. I have been in regular touch with HR throughout. All contact ihas been instigated by myself, my line manager has made no effort to contact me. I was told this week that I require further surgery and informed my employer immediately as obviously I am not going to be back at work at least until I have recovered from that operation.
Straight away I received an email saying that I was required to attend a face to face formal case review with HR , the date given being less than 3 working days notice, and the venue being not the site on which I work, but the organisation headquarters about 40 miles away.
I replied saying that I did not think this request was reasonable. There is no public transport from where I live, I can't currently drive and I can only walk about 200yds unaided. The only ways I could get there would be either to get a taxi directly there ( goodness knows what that would cost....an 80 mile round trip with possibly over an hour's waiting time ) or a taxi, train and another taxi which would take me over 2 hours each way. With more notice my husband could take me, but I am not asking him to beg for short notice leave for something like this. I know what the response would be if it was the other way round and I was asking for leave at 48 hours notice to take him to an HR meeting!
Anyway, I replied, pointing out those issues and saying that I need at least 2 full weeks' notice to get to HQ though could probably get to my own site next week.
I haven't had a reply yet and now I am stressing, thinking that perhaps I should have asked for a copy of the policy or spoken to my union before I responded. Though realistically that would have been difficult given the time frame! I was polite I think, but they will be in no doubt that I am not happy.
I just wondered if anyone was au fait with employment law? Surely they need to give me more notice than that - I know I am not busy, but I am ill! Obviously I can't speak to anyone til Monday now and I am going to be stewing about it all weekend, so any reassurance anyone van give would be hugely appreciated.

Sorry, should have said, I work in the public sector if that makes any difference.

I’ve just had a discussion with my HR about what they plan to do next re my absence and they offered to do it over the phone. Granted we are further away than 40 miles but he had it on loudspeaker with a second hr advisor listening it to take notes. Could you perhaps ask if this would be more reasonable given the circumstances?

Also I’m civil service if that helps in any way.

Couldn't a rep from HR visit you at home? Or would you not want this?

Under the circumstances of ask for a home visit.

Is it definitely with HR and not Occupational Health, OP? Have your OH department contacted you at all, or are you coming to the end of the paid sick leave (often a trigger for employers to arrange an appointment).

Obviously your manager should have been keeping in touch with you and it seems to have been all one-sided from you unfortunately.

I agree that a meeting about sick leave 40 miles away seems unreasonable tbh. Not sure what they were thinking there! But I do think it should be in the hands of OH by now.

Legally, formal meetings require at least 5 working days notice and your HR team should make reasonable adjustments to enable you to attend. What those adjustments are, you can either agree or they can get occupational health advice about what you'll need to be able to attend.

@OlderthenYoungerNow that is not true take a look at ACAS!

There is no specific notice required for formal meetings, it just has to be reasonable. 3 days is reasonable unless there’s something very unusual- it’s not a complex disciplinary with folders of evidence to read and digest, it’s a meeting about your health held on a day you would otherwise be at work.

Obviously getting to HO isn’t going to be possible, but they probably didn’t know that. It’s fine to request an alternative venue.

I work in HR and I would come to your house / somewhere accessible to you. They are not being reasonable

Thanks all. Yes, its definitely HR. Occ Health have been doing home visits and phone calls regularly.
If I don't get a reply from HR on Monday morning I will email again and ask about a phone call.
They really should have known that I wouldn't get there, based on other discussions. I have told them that I am essentially housebound on multiple previous occasions. If I was in a position to get to HQ independently I would almost certainly be back at work!
I rang a few taxi companies for quotes and the cheapest I got was £150.00. I can't afford that.

What Hermione said.

Perfectly fine amount of notice. Not perfectly fine to expect you to travel that far in your specific circumstances. You need to contact HR and explain that it will cost you that much in a taxi and ask them to either relocate the meeting to your local office (or your home if you prefer) or to pay for the taxi. I would be astonished if they refuse both of those.