Is it impossible to get sacked in the NHS?

[Qwerty202]

That's what a colleague told me. Said colleague has had over 4 month's off sick.
I've only been in the NHS a few months, I'm enjoying my role and by all accounts have received good feedback about my performance. A few colleagues have said to me it's impossible to get sacked, sickness isn't taken seriously. I've had to wfh the last two days as my daughter is unwell and I can't send her to childcare. My manager was completely fine about it, didn't even mention I had to take it off as leave..
Just wondering why the benchmark is so low... Does anyone else who works in the NHS feel the same?

I imagine that it depends on the Trust/manager but a family member of mine (not a medic) worked for the NHS for many years and her conduct would have seen her managed out in any organisation I have ever worked for. Some examples (mainly things she told me I should be doing in my job too):

• Insisting on leaving exactly on time (to the minute) even if it meant leaving a task half done or people were waiting for something from her. Also refusing to have any work related discussion before her official start time even if she was in early- but frequently being late due to traffic/parking and refusing to make up the time because it was not her fault she was held up.
• Intentionally arranging all medical appointments etc in work time (she worked part time) so as not to interfere with her time off.
• Taking a lot of (genuine) sick leave but then insisting that she was also entitled to 3 days self certified sickness that she could therefore take to go Xmas shopping/see friends.
• Taking sick leave for any and every minor ailment (eg. headache/bruised knee/stiff neck) and taking a day off sick afterwards if she had been genuinely ill on one of her non-work days
• When there were changes in her department so that her specific post was essentially redundant and she was offered a very similar role on the same pay/hours etc she refused on the basis that she did not know anyone in the new team. So she was offered the same pay to work shorter hours in the same department as a friend.

Sil worked with a supervisor who took a few months off then came back for a couple of weeks and repeat. This went on for 3 years. Read on here advice to another poster last year, that you can get what you want by threatening to go on long term sick due to stress - apparently everyone does it. And we wonder where all the money is being wasted.

Not impossible but extremetly difficult unless there is an irrefutable, open and shut case of gross misconduct. Same in teaching. Same in most areas of the public sector.

I was literally harassed and abused by a nurse ( that knew me personally) and found my on recovery ward to do it. She was given a formal warning but that was it. I know she has other things in her work history and she’s off a lot but I can’t see her being sacked anytime soon

A colleague of mine has been off sick with stress since January. I do know someone that was fired after having about a year off

It is absolutely possible to be sacked in the NHS but it is generally not called sacked.

Leaving due to bullying, managers not changing your hours when they have changed everyone elses etc is very common. Paying people off and NDAs are also common. Once you are in this circuit and talking to your union you will be shocked how many people come forward and share their stories with you.

And your friend will find that you can't be off sick indefinitely - managers will eventually manage you out due to ill health.

However equally in some trusts and departments there are people who are crap, known to be crap by senior management and basically just sitting there while everyone else works around them until retirement.

Definitely not impossible!
Where sickness is involved it will be wrapped up as “ ill health retirement “ or something on those grounds, don’t kid yourself, if they want you gone, you’re gone.
Anything else, you will be sacked after disciplinary end of.

I worked in the public sector and was a union rep

Definitely not impossible.

If I was a nurse and walked in and stabbed a colleague, they'd want me gone wouldn't they (and jailed!)

Its the processes that take longer. You have the informal warnings, the written warning, the final written warning, then dismissal.

So you get more chances, depending on the offense, but you could still end up sacked.

As for sick leave - this depends on the reasons. If you are off work for cancer treatment for example (which should be fully paid disability leave but too many employers record it as sick leave instead)

I had the same, the NHS is full of sleazebags that are protected but the woman will always have to leave/bullied out.