Work making me ill

[UnmanageableWorkload]

Hi,
Brief history. 27 years in the NHS mainly as a band 6 and band 7 for the last few years. Took on a second band 7 role in a slightly different role to my career (which I loved btw). Covid issues meant I had to leave my previous 7 (issues with long distance travel).

Current role is management but seems to be more management stuff than my previous band 7 role and I am the sole member of the band 7’s line managing a large team. I am also responsible for the operational management of the biggest area. Band 8 on long term sick. Place is in trouble and has been neglected in terms of technology so everything takes 3-4 times as long to do. Latest issue is the breakdown of a heavily used machine which has no contingency. Bad management basically. I have inherited a lot of shit!

My workload is unmanageable. I have told my line manager and been ignored. I have suffered with stress a lot lately (and never had it in my previous roles). I get emails from all directions and staff are demanding of my time. Numerous deviations from staff. Lots of mundane, repetitive work involved which stops me getting on with proper work.

It is a mess. The place is a mess with all band 7’s having been on long term sick over the last year.

There has been no improvement and I’ve been there 2 years now. It is affecting me. High blood pressure and stress.

I am trying to get back in my own career but it’s difficult as I’m limited to where I can go (going through a divorce) so I can’t uproot my 15 year old from school and her father.

I have a clean sick record but I can’t go on! What would you do? I want to go on the sick so everything is left and they realise just how much I do! However, I don’t want a potential employer seeing I have been off with stress!! The workload is making me stressed not the job itself. I have never felt like this before and it is not showing any signs of changing.

I have an interview lined up but worried it’ll
look bad if I go sick. But, this job is affecting my health! I’m not sleeping well either.

Id take a locum post but I need a permanent job. This place is destroying my NHS career.

Any advice?

If you don't want to go off sick, then you are limiting your options, so the only things I can think of are to refer yourself to OH or submit a grievance. Sorry, but one way or another you have to call a halt. Management won't ever listen if you don't.

I’ve referred myself to OH.

Rather than go off sick, push back.

Have an admin day or two to work out where your stresses are?

• Who/which departments are sending you too many emails? Can the emails be rediverted?
• Are you too available for people? Can you take a step back to attempt to reduce your day to day workload?
• Can you write a business case for a new role to support you?
• Prioritise. Are there any projects that can be haulted for 6 months?

You've managed two years, you've done well. Fingers crossed within 6 months you'll be long gone, so yes, if you can, for your reference and work history, I would hold off going off sick and instead take a step back and reduce the pressure you put on yourself. Even if that means becoming less effective.

I'm always amazed at the number of people working in the NHS that reference the numbers of colleagues on long term sick leave. Seems like this is then a domino effect where due to additional pressures on those staff remaining they also consider going off sick. Is this more prevalent in the NHS due to sick pay benefits?

A few suggestions :
I would also ask what the backfill arrangements are for the band 8. Can you suggest/ offer to act up and back fill your role.

Is there anything you can delegate ?

Draft a SBAR snd be really clear about the issues and what support you need to unblock the issues

Have you asked to meet with the band 8's manager ? You could ask to meet with them follow up with an email to summarise the discussion and agreed actions. It's really important to have an audit trail of where you have raised issues and what support you have been given. It may also help to copy HR into your emails

Think one of the issues is the NHS no longer get cover in for people off long term sick, mat leave etc so departments are chronically short staffed and staff already under pressure and risk of burnout.
I have friends in private companies who talk about maternity cover starting for a colleague or they're being paid for extra hours (if they're part time) to cover for someone off after major surgery etc.
That doesn't tend to happen in nhs

Thanks for this. I do think I make myself available too much but I think I’ve been victim of the other band 7’s too as they’ve been there for many years and are aware of what the rubbish jobs are and they seem to have landed at my door so they don’t have to do it.
I have had some people telling me the department (well, my area) needs to be run by two band 7’s or a band 7 and a 6, so I will push for this.
The emails are from other hospitals as we work for our own trust and others across the country. It’s difficult to put them off.
I do think I do a lot of admin work but a lot of my role is overwhelming because of the paperwork involved instead of them having a good IT system in place.

I’d agree with this and it’s exactly the same in the prison service where I work.

Usually, a future employer shouldn't know about your sickness record until they give you the offer and then only for making adjustments. But I suppose nhs might be different as all moves are internal? It shouldn't count against you.

Yes, the sick pay has a lot to do with it. We have staff off all the time! I was the only band 7 in for months last year as the others were on long term sick! I was expected to carry the can! Band 8 was also off and has had a poor attendance record during the 2 years I’ve been there.

I haven’t been sick apart from having Covid last summer. I hate going sick as I know it puts pressure on remaining colleagues.

Some people actually take the P! One person had Covid 9 times!! Apparently!

It’s always the same people going sick and nothing much is done about it!

A lot of NHS staff, like myself, who don’t go off sick are constantly overworked due to doing work of staff that are off. It causes burnout and resentment!

They have brought a part time retired manager in to backfill the 8 but it’s a complete waste of time as this person hasn’t got a clue about what we do!

I can’t delegate much as staff below me are struggling with their workload. We are understaffed like many NHS departments.

@frostyfeb
I have told the band 8’s line manager (who is fairly new to the trust and also doesn’t understand much about what we do our our roles). I was told to learn how to prioritise!!
OH doctor phoned me earlier and we had a chat. He is seeing me tomorrow. He also mentioned doing a stress test. It can be raised with HR if needs be.
There is supposed to be a restructuring going on but I haven’t heard anything for a while.
It’s the worst place I’ve ever worked in the NHS.

Yup. This!
One of the band 7’s was off a year on maternity leave. Another band 7 was asked to take on her work as well as do her own job. 3 months in and she couldn’t cope and ended up off sick for 5 months. Then the 8 and other two band 7’s went off sick leaving me alone with a band 6 and three band 5’s to cope with the rest of the staff.
The band 8 tries to save money. It’s totally screwed the place up.

I just don’t want a future employer thinking I can’t deal with stress. My workload is unmanageable. It’s not that I’m a stress head - I never have been.

Discuss this concern about what is on your sick note with your doctor ?

As of yesterday, I have now had enough and plan to resign or retire and go.

I can imagine it does cause resentment and while it is a very good benefit it seems like a huge problem which in itself is actually causing people to burnout and actually genuinely be off sick with stress.

I would hazard a guess that in the private sector where there are only minimal statutory benefits for sick pay, long term sickness is a lot less common. This is certainly my experience.

Private sector don’t see the same levels of sickness for the same reason. It’s good in the NHS for sick pay but only when it’s genuine. A lot take the P!

Someone I knew (had terminal cancer) came into work until almost the end when things got too much for her (she died a few weeks later) never rang in sick and wouldn’t even though she was terminally ill. It’s people who are genuine that need protecting.

We have one woman who has been off most of the time I’ve worked there! Nothing wrong with her!

I would hazard a guess that in the private sector where there are only minimal statutory benefits for sick pay, long term sickness is a lot less common. This is certainly my experience.

In my job I see lots of patients who are off long term sick. Many large companies in the private sector pay decent sick pay. They often have insurance cover to pay out for prolonged period of ill-health. It's often smaller companies that pay minimal sick pay and you can't compare the NHS with a small business.

@BeerBot Agreed but just making the point that sadly good sick pay can = lots of long term sickness.

Hmm but that's not necessarily for the reason you suggest. Private sector employers are more likely to move to dismiss anyone on sick leave for more than a few months, let alone a year.

Correlation isn't causation.