Claiming back annual leave when sick?

[Sickmama]

My DS's child minder is closed this week so I'm on annual leave. As luck would have it I have been plagued with a horendous chest infection (not Covid) and this is proving to be the week from Hell trying to care for my 17 month old on my own whilst so poorly.
I've finally managed to speak to a GP today and get some antibiotics prescribed and DH has taken some time off work today and taken DS out so I can rest but he has to go back tomorrow.

The thing I'm most upset about is that this was my one opportunity to have a week off with DS. I completed a phased return using AL for 5 months and took an extra day off a week so after this week off, I have 1 week's worth of AL left to use between now and April (not including bank holidays which I take as they are) and DS is booked to have a (minor) operation at some point in the next few months so I want to save my AL for then if I can so I can have some extra time with him to make sure he's okay.

My Dad told me I can claim this week back from work and put it down as sickness. I feel a bit cheeky asking them if I can do that and can I even do that? Would I need to have a GP sign me off for the week? I didn't speak to the GP about signing me off from work because I'm not at work this week (spoke to my Dad after I spoke to the GP). I can self-sign myself off from work for up to a week but wouldn't this just sound ridiculous to work.... I've just been off for a week but I was sick the whole time so I'm just going to take another week off some other time if you don't mind'. I'm worried they will think I'm lying but I now can't ask the GP to sign me off retrospectively can I?

I'm not sure if it's a legal thing or just something some employers offer, but I've always been able to do this at work.

That said, I've never worked anywhere that wouldn't have needed you to tell them on Monday morning that you were unwell, and find out if they wanted/needed evidence, so you might not be able to get Monday or Tuesday back. If you call soon, you might be able to sort today.

The thing is there isn't really anyone to call as my manager is also off on annual leave for the full time I'm off. She doesn't actually return to work until after I am planned to do the only other person there is to tell are my peers (which I have done as we're friends outside of work so I sent them a 'woe is me' kind of message very informally.

Ah.

If you were in this week, and were off sick, what would your sickness protocol be? Who would you have to let know?

Can you access your employer handbook online?

You could try emailing your manager with the caveat that you know that they're not around until next week but you wanted to let them know that you're off sick this week, but you might need to follow the sickness protocol for that to work.

Is there another manager you can ring?

We're able to swap over to sick leave if on AL.

This happened to me where I got chickenpox (I was 20!). Unfortunately my HR was a pain in the ass and because I didn't email them right away, I wasn't allowed to change mine.

I imagine there is a work policy on it, so could you send an email to your manager while you figure the rest out?

In the NHS, you have to get a sick note from the first day of illness and submit it within a week of being back at work.

I am NHS so that's interesting. The thing is my manager is off and my managers manager is off (summer holidays) so my manager's manager's manager is the chief nurse and I don't know the chief nurse, she doesn't know me and it seems ridiculous to email the chief nurse to say I'm off sick but don't worry, I'm booked on AL anyway so there's nothing to cover but just so you know I want my AL back 😖

I've done it once when I had flu followed by campylobactor over Christmas.

If it makes any difference at all, technically, I'm currently recorded as being off sick on ESR (our HR portal I guess). I was actually already sick and had to take 2 days off. My manager signed me out sick but then started her AL and said we'd just sort out my return to work when I got back. I only took 2 days because I felt well enough to go back to work the following week (last week) but I wasn't 100% better and then last weekend it's just mutated into this horrible illness now and I feel so much worse than when I had to take those days off sick. But I did go back to work for a full week in-between that first period of sickness and this one now, just my managers not been there to change anything.

Hey! I used to work in HR for NHS and I am certain you can claim your annual leave back, with a note from your doctor. I would send an email ASAP so that the date you request it is on record, even if you know you won't get a response until your manager is back ☺️

I would guess you need to check the sickness policy and wether this is classed as 2 periods of sickness or look for any other triggers. I know people who have dine this put then got bit on the bus, because it triggered sickness policy.

Where I am (NHS) you can get you al back with a sick note however, our GP' will not issue a sickness for the first 7 days as they expect you to self certify x

Thank you. So just to be clear though, I now need to call the GP back and ask for a sick note? Can I ask for one from Monday or do I need to just ask for one from today and claim back three days AL?

We can do this but would have to have called in sick on day 1, so first day of your annual leave. I wouldn't be able to do it retrospectively.

It’ll depend on your GP. I didn’t think they issued sick notes for the first 7 days of absence, as you can self-certify, so you’d need to check whether yours will, and whether they’d be happy to backdate it to Monday or if they’ll only start it when you spoke to them (hopefully today).

I think you can get a private note for less than 7 days off from my doctors, but you have to pay for it, I think it’s around £50.