Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Work

Chat with other users about all things related to working life on our Work forum.

Original poster

Any NHS managers about? Advice needed about short-notice leave.

12 replies

miriam1992 · 28/12/2025 07:22

I'm an NHS employee (Band 3 admin worker) and my line manager won't be available for the next 3 weeks (on annual leave). The next in line is my Operations Manager who I can speak to in manager's absence. I'm back at work on Monday (29th Dec) and have a very delicate family situation which means I'll need to request the following Monday and Tuesday as short-notice annual leave. The operations manager is already aware of the delicate and highly private situation with my family and has shown great compassion and empathy. Nobody on my team (including my manager) knows exact details of the situation (I don't want gossip to spread and it's something that extremely upsetting to talk about). Gossip is rife on my team and I'm a very private person.
We have a Band 4 colleague on the team who steps in to cover when our manager is away but she has a poor relationship will the team. She is rude, snappy and makes sarcastic comments at every opportunity. Several colleagues have made official complaints about her in recent months and I think the service is in the process of trying to re-deploy her. Speaking to her wouldn't be an option. My operations manager is well-aware of the issues with this Band 4 colleague being rude and unapproachable.

Basically, when I got back to work tomorrow, I'll need to ask the operations manager for the following Mon and Tues off to deal with this delicate situation. I have sufficient annual leave left to cover these 2 days, so I'll propose taking them as annual leave and will just have to apologise for the short notice.

The delicate situation is that I'm helping one of my elderly parents leave an abusive partner and those 2 days are a window of opportunity because the abusive partner will be away in a different city. This is a rare occasion that the partner will be away. My parent is elderly, frail and extremely overwhelmed with the domestic abuse they've been facing for years. My operations manager knows I'm currently helping "a loved one" flee DV, but I haven't said exactly who it is.

My parent has nobody else to help with this and I'm the only person in the family circle who knows they want to leave the abuser.

Would it be reasonable for me to give a weeks' notice on Monday or needing 2 days off for this reason? Also, I'd want to avoid having to explain it to my immediate colleagues. I would be happy to take the 2 days (Mon 5th and Tues 6th Jan) as unpaid leave if annual leave can't be granted at such short notice. My parent and I have only found out over the Christmas period that their abuser will be away in a different city on Mon 5th and Tues 6th Jan, so we ideally need to make good use of this window of opportunity. The abuser rarely goes out, so this is a very rare opportunity and we've no idea when the next opportunity will be. My parent doesn't want to involve the police or any authorities/agencies in their wish to leave.
Any NHS managers around who might be able to advise me on the liklihood of this short-notice leave request being granted? I intend to speak to my Operations Manager about it tomorrow but the worry of it has kept me awake all night.

OP posts:
SiliconeHeaven · 28/12/2025 07:31

I manage a small team in the NHS. I also have a very good and approachable Matron and Service manager.
If one of my team told me that they had a delicate family emergency and needed two days leave, I wouldn't hesitate.
I am sure that both if my managers would be the same.
I don't think you need to go into details, just say why you have above and that you are willing to take the time unpaid.
I hope everything goes OK for you and your parent.

Blushingm · 28/12/2025 07:33

I’m a band 6 - I manage a team. I’d allow this

crazeekat · 28/12/2025 07:35

U should get this as carers leave. All else fails just tell them u won’t be in and u will take unpaid leave. U don’t need to tell the band 4 anything. Go to the operations manager directly. Explain it as u have here and see what the options she gives you are.

SouthwarkLass · 28/12/2025 07:35

Yes, I'm a Service Line Lead and would expect Service Managers or Operations Managers to approve this. Good Luck and I hope things go OK

Itwasallyellow2 · 28/12/2025 07:40

I’d allow this too, without question. I would, and have, approved emergency / carers leave for this kind of situation. However. as you are able and willing to take annual leave then that will work too. Please have a conversation with your Ops manager; they will have more experience of approving leave in these kinds of situations than you imagine.

OP, you sound really conscientious - I really hope your leave is approved and things go well. 💐 for you.

Original poster
miriam1992 · 28/12/2025 07:40

Thank you all for your kind words and advice. So, if the Operations Manager is kind enough to grant the leave for me, can she do it without "asking" for the Band 4's "agreement"? In my team, whenever someone requests AL, the Band 4 (or manager when in) always has to check how many other team members have requested the same date/s. It's done a first come, first served basis.
If granted, could I ask the Operations Manager to explain to our Band 4 that I won't be in and will be dealing with a private matter?
I just don't want any awkward conversation with the Band 4. Or perhaps I could just email her and say "Hi Jane, I've spoken to Ops Manager and been granted x and x dates off to dealing with a personal matter... Best wishes, Miriam". Would that be appropriate?

OP posts:
Parker231 · 28/12/2025 07:43

miriam1992 · 28/12/2025 07:40

Thank you all for your kind words and advice. So, if the Operations Manager is kind enough to grant the leave for me, can she do it without "asking" for the Band 4's "agreement"? In my team, whenever someone requests AL, the Band 4 (or manager when in) always has to check how many other team members have requested the same date/s. It's done a first come, first served basis.
If granted, could I ask the Operations Manager to explain to our Band 4 that I won't be in and will be dealing with a private matter?
I just don't want any awkward conversation with the Band 4. Or perhaps I could just email her and say "Hi Jane, I've spoken to Ops Manager and been granted x and x dates off to dealing with a personal matter... Best wishes, Miriam". Would that be appropriate?

You don’t need to include any reference to it being a personal matter. It’s not relevant to anyone else why you are away from work. Keep it private.

Itwasallyellow2 · 28/12/2025 07:46

miriam1992 · 28/12/2025 07:40

Thank you all for your kind words and advice. So, if the Operations Manager is kind enough to grant the leave for me, can she do it without "asking" for the Band 4's "agreement"? In my team, whenever someone requests AL, the Band 4 (or manager when in) always has to check how many other team members have requested the same date/s. It's done a first come, first served basis.
If granted, could I ask the Operations Manager to explain to our Band 4 that I won't be in and will be dealing with a private matter?
I just don't want any awkward conversation with the Band 4. Or perhaps I could just email her and say "Hi Jane, I've spoken to Ops Manager and been granted x and x dates off to dealing with a personal matter... Best wishes, Miriam". Would that be appropriate?

The Ops manager may just check with the Band 4 how many people are off for those days in case cover is needed but yes, your Ops manager could just say to the Band 4 that she has approved your leave. Job done. Or you could do as you say and let the Band 4 know out of courtesy that you have spoken to the Ops manager about leave on those days and it has been approved. I wouldn’t even say to the B4 that it’s about a personal or private matter. I would just tell her that it’s annual leave. Doesn’t matter what it’s for! You are entitled to annual leave and, at this time of year, managers are just glad people are using it up!

user1471464218 · 28/12/2025 07:47

Are other people off on leave though? My work policy is to give 7 days notice, which you are just about doing, but in practice you could give a day's notice if noone else was off (because nobody else is being brought in to cover if there's only one person off. )

Original poster
miriam1992 · 28/12/2025 07:54

user1471464218 · 28/12/2025 07:47

Are other people off on leave though? My work policy is to give 7 days notice, which you are just about doing, but in practice you could give a day's notice if noone else was off (because nobody else is being brought in to cover if there's only one person off. )

I'm only aware of 1 colleague on the team who is currently off sick (recovering from major surgery) and our line manager who is due back in 3 weeks. I expect we'll have at least 4 or 5 other people in work during the period I need to be absent.
On one of the days leading up to Christmas, there were only 2 of us (myself and manager)!. We managed though. Everyone was off sick with a flu bug (although a couple were on AL I think).

OP posts:
Itwasallyellow2 · 28/12/2025 07:58

user1471464218 · 28/12/2025 07:47

Are other people off on leave though? My work policy is to give 7 days notice, which you are just about doing, but in practice you could give a day's notice if noone else was off (because nobody else is being brought in to cover if there's only one person off. )

In the NHS giving notice of annual leave is the usual practice but there are policies around emergency and carers’ leave to cover last-minute issues too. As long as the team isn’t severely short staffed which would affect business as usual I would approve annual leave at short notice. If staffing was an issue I would look at the carers / emergency leave options and go down that route. No manager in their right mind would deny someone a leave request in the OP’s situation as DV is very much recognised as an issue in the NHS and I have approved emergency leave for people in a similar situation.

Theextraordinaryisintheordinary · 28/12/2025 08:01

The fact that you’re taking this as annual leave will be fine. The service will not collapse without you being there for two days in the same way it wouldn’t if you were unwell. Don’t worry about it anymore.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread