Why is it so hard to get rid of NHS staff who take the pi** with sickness

[Danijane]

Just wondering why NHS trusts don't seem to get very firm on staff who take the piss with sickness leave?
I work on a busy admin team where staff often say "ill just go off sick if X happens..". Like going off sick (often longterm) is the solution to any problem at work.
Theres 1 girl on the team (single mum with no local family in UK) who goes off sick for several weeks every school holiday period. She's just done it again as her daughter finishes school this week. So that will be likely a couple of months off with "stress".
Another woman on the team who lives with her single mum daughter and 2 young grandkids also "gets sick" every school holiday and festive period, also for several weeks at a time. Her daughter works high power job including lots of travel.
Our manager recently said how nice it would be get time off over Xmas for a change and I asked why not book it then. She replied that she can't because the other senior on our team will be off sick... She always is off sick at Xmas but manager is frustrated as said can't do anything about it, even though it's a clear pattern.
How can this be the case? I mean why can't management do anything about persistent piss takers?
Is this an issue right across the NHS?

It’s a public sector thing (although some areas clamp down on it - I’m not NHs). The day I started my public sector job the union bloke doing a speech said that ‘we all get 2 weeks sick allowance per year - so use it or lose it’. Completely inaccurate as that was then the trigger point for disciplinary action! But no wonder so many take the kick when it’s advertised like that.

Having worked in both it's definitely something that public sector is more susceptible for, people taking the absolute piss etc. And there are usually four people doing the exact same job so their absence isn't actually missed. Private sector you need to explain yourself or just get laid off if in probationary or otherwise you will get statutory and probably laid off anyway.

Maybe not. But I’ve always worked in the private sector and not once have I ever come across someone who goes off sick for weeks at a time over the summer holidays or over Christmas. The only extended time people have off is parental leave / maternity leave which is pre-agreed if not contractual.

Same in Local Authority OP, pay is the same 6 months full and 6 months half, I imagine if it was just ten days paid they’d only take ten days off!

No it doesn’t.

Sickness absence management isn’t a disciplinary process.

Maybe the difference was that we had matrix management in place so that the Very Important Clinicians had other managers to support in leading these things.

Having worked across all sectors, I maintain my position that HR support. It can be significant but they absolutely aren’t the decision makers.

“Facilitate”, not “run”.

That’s why Occupational Health exists.

Exactly. These people would be out of the door pronto.

Just proves that our public services aren't underfunded as such just very poorly managed.

I don't think it's that hard, it's often weak management who don't want to be seen as the bad guy

Why are child free members of the workplace always expected to pick up the slack when parents call in sick?

From some of the responses on this thread, it seems like 90% of the problem is everyone's kicking the can to someone else! So far we've been told authoritatively that HR should sort it, management should sort it, and occupational health should sort it! And everyone's convinced they're right. And literally not one person on here who says they work for the NHS is concerned about the impact on service users or aware that their buck-passing is contributing to the utter shambles. Says it all really.

That's quite an interpretation. You have no idea if @vodkaredbullgirl was implying anything like what you've said, she just asked a question. If the OP had actually answered it we might have found out where she was going with it, but as-is, you have no idea, you're just jumping to conclusions.

It's impossible to sack anyone in the nhs. Unless they whistleblow.

Am public sector and currently off work ill with stress and burnout. First time I've been off and damn right I'm taking the maximum I can. Management have knowingly run me into the ground. Going off sick is the only time they have taken notice of what's happened.

I understand it’s very difficult to come up with a fair system so the genuine people are covered. Lots of people do ring in who are not genuinely sick. We have one who has well known weekends away so her “sickness” usually falls on a Monday or a Friday. If her pay was stopped after a few of these incidents I am sure she would find a way to drag herself in.

@Darragon Yes. It’s patients that suffer. It’s an utter shambles and each case should be reviewed with persistent absences. The NHs is a soft touch. No wonder respect for it has plummeted.

Yes, there are a lot of people who make it extremely obvious, with no doubt whatsoever.

Except, I suppose, if they end up like the boy who cried wolf and do genuinely get sick on a Monday or Friday - and then nobody believes them!

Its been this way for years. I was shocked when I was on holiday 20 years ago with a friend who worked in the NHS and she called in each morning to say she was ill. Didn't hide taht she was abroad and when I asked she got angry and said she might be ill and she wasn't often ill and they all did it. Ok then.

Very true!

Thanks.

For others who shot me down, I've worked in the NHS, thank god I don't work for them anymore. My kids are adults now, hardly took anytime off the when they were younger.

I've heard of people who have phoned in 'sick' actually from the airport, only for a very loud flight departure announcement to be heard clearly in the background whilst they're still on the phone to their boss!

How much does this contribute to poor healthcare -look at the state of maternity care, one big factor was staffing

NHS pays staff whether they turn up
or not.

Next question.

OMG!