Forced to resign

[jadey0891]

Hi all

I am very upset so I'm sorry.😢
Yesterday I had to resign from my nhs job role. Work were not understanding the fact I have 2 children under 16 that have medical needs. I had meetings upon meetings with the nursing director and still I couldn't get anywhere with him.
I told him I'm a single parent to 2 vulnerable children and all I was told was "why can't they go to school"- my answer was "because I live 45 min away, I don't drive, I rely on public transport. Then I was asked "why can't family members look after them" - my answer was haven't you heard the guidelines. I cannot take them to my dads because he has I'll health, I don't speak with my mum and further more there dad is also isolating because he has covid" nursing director then said to me it was my problem and I need to sort it out and find childcare because he expects me back to work doing my contracted hours )bearing in mind they are 12 hour shifts)..I've contacted my GP and they only told me to go on gov website which I done like 10 times and filled in the form for shielding.
Before all this lockdown and coronavirus I had every planned out, childcare was in place, everything. Now I had to resign from a job that I adore and love.

I'm sorry if I'm going on I'm so upset.

Did I do the right thing.

Do ask. There may be transport available. What county are you in.

@Bluntness100
I had done everything I needed to do to keep my job but they were not listening or helping then all I had to do was resign for now!!! If you read my post properly them maybe you would see the things I have done!

If you are on the nursing side can you join the nursebank

@HappyHammy
I'm from walthamstow London!!!

@HappyHammy
Yes I am on there hun

I’m not criticising you for it op, I am saying it limits your options. If they fired you you may have a case, but you walked, that’s very different. Unless you start to try to prove it was constructive dismissal and that would be very hard unless you have evidence they were threatening you and forced you out?

How much time did you take off that caused the Bradford score to go up?

@Bluntness100 since the 23/3/2020 but I had annual leave for 2 weeks

I'm really confused If you're in Walthamstow isn't public transport running?

You said you were a single parent and had a partner? Can they take them to school?

Op, you’ve been off and been paid for it for seven weeks? Two of it holiday and five weeks just off?

Who normally does the childcare?

I work in the nhs. It's the same across the board, we were given 3 days (fri-Sunday) to sort childcare and be back at work. If everyone said they had no childcare, transport etc the nhs would grind to a halt! Some colleagues have moved their children in with other family members for the duration or made arrangements with schools. Hospitals need all the staff they can get.

It depends what you went off from work from end of March with? If it was 2 weeks A/L then you've been off for what reason? You say your DP currently has COVID but you'd only have to isolate as a household member for up to 2 weeks so that leaves weeks when you were off for what reason?

Have you taken sick leave for weeks when you're not sick and you're not suggesting any way you could go back to work?

I'd have rung in sick until their dads isolation was up rather than resign.

Can you speak to them again?

My experience, pre Covid, has been that people get signed off with anxiety for six months rather than resign.

I think you would have a case for unpaid parental leave under the circumstances. It's a pity you resigned. And you may have got support from a union if you were in one.

Have you not worked at all since March? What about when their dad didn't have Covid? Why wasn't he looking after them while you work?

I'm confused are you a single parent or not? You said you or your partner do the school run?

The whole thing is confusing.

Your DC usually go to school 45 mins away which isn't a problem even with your shifts?

And now they can't go to those schools? And have been refused admission to I assume, schools that are more local even as keyworker children?

But they are not deemed to need shielding by medics?

And you've been off work since 23rd March with 2 weeks leave but presumably sick since the end of that since you mentioned BF? But you're not sick, you just don't have anywhere for your children to go?

Schools haven't gone back yet have they? Could you stay working and your partner look after the DC and by the time schools go back maybe you can arrange shorter shifts, school transport. Are you off sick atm or on unpaid leave.

@HappyHammy schools are open for keyworkers so if the OP is a single parent she would be able to use the school.

You can use the schools if you’re a key worker irrelevant of what the other parent or guardian does.

And I don’t think they would be open to unpaid leave if you’ve not been to work for two months. I can see why that would be an issue for them.

@RegalRags
I'm single. I didn't mean to add the partner bit.

So did your previous partner used to take them?

Had you managed to make arrangements for them to get there after he/she left?

Hard to say if you did the right thing what do you think? What would you have liked the trust to have done? How could they help you.

It may be possible to withdraw your resignation I have done this (NHS too). What will you do for money now? You can join the RCN and ask for advice immediately. Clearly your children are too young to be left but, you could have requested unpaid leave. Too late for now. What will you do now?