Hospital appointments

[user4566676]

I have a long term health condition that requires regular monitoring so I have hospital appointments fairly regularly. I have been told that I can either use holiday, lieu time or take the leave as unpaid.
My colleague's son is having regular appointments for the next 6 weeks so my colleague will need time off to take him to the appointment. She is having this paid.
Should it be the same rule for both of us?

No, not true. I’m disabled and your workplace just needs to make “reasonable adjustments”, and that could mean a lot of things. They don’t have to give you paid time off for appointments. Eg, allowing you the time off, unpaid, to attend an appointment can be seen as a reasonable adjustment.

how do you know that your colleague is being paid or the reason for her absence? I’d be wary as sometimes people tell white lies eg they’re actually pregnant!

I don’t know the legalities but this seems unfair. When I managed a team your appointments would have been paid as standard, and you wouldn’t have been expected to make time up, however it would be appreciated if you were flexible the other way in return (the whole team worked unpaid overtime at times to meet deadlines so this wasn’t an issue). Also being part time I’d expect some appointments to fall on your days off and some on your working days.

Appointments for family would not be paid as policy, I’d have used my discretion to allow time off for a good worker.

@Snowiscold what you have said is strictly correct. However given OP's position where she arranges the majority of appointments outside work, I think it is fairly reasonable for her to have some appointments deemed necessary due to her disability, as paid time off. It is on the employer to show to anyone asking eg tribunal, why they wouldn't consider it reasonable. I personally don't think they have a leg to stand on given the situation where they are paying an employee time off for hospital appointments for a dependent.

What's the story with your colleague's child? Are they very sick so your line manager is using discretion to allow paid time off? 6 appts in 6 weeks suggests something serious.