Work

[kazb]

Hi All, Bit about me
I am 53 yr old Nurse,newly diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
Work has told me not to come into work and send sick notes in until they get letters from my neurologist.
Well yesterday got a letter from HR saying i am going on Half pay and then in Jan sick pay will stop.
I have a appointment with the consultant at work(where i work as a nurse OH ) att he end of November.
Still dont know if they are going to finish me on ill health or support me to come back to work ??.
I spoke with the Consultant at work and he told me not to worry as he had received the Neurologist reports on me and it was just for a review.
What advice and help/support can you all give me ??.
I personally don't believe i can still do my nursing job,but i have to see what the OH consultant at work says ??.
HELP PLease

 

[Gigglemore]

Hi kazb sounds like you are in a really difficult situation. Do you feel that you could work part time or do you think that your condition makes it totally unsuitable for you to carry out your current role? If you feel able to work part time or do some of the duties I would press for that, given the pay issue. If you haven't already, please get your union or association involved.

The end of November seems a long time to wait to find out what will happen, if there is a chance that you will lose your income shortly after. Can you get help to find out whether there are any ill-health early retirement options in your pension scheme?

Hope someone with a bit more knowledge comes along soon.

 

[AlsoConfused]

I'm so sorry you're facing all these horrible problems.

I'm assuming your chief concerns at the moment are to do what you safely and ethically can to protect your income and stabilise your life as much as is possible?

I think you need to check very carefully (with your union, with your NHS pension team and with Human Resources) what the financial consequences will be of all the options open to you. It's possible you'd do better financially by taking whatever disability "topped up" pension entitlements you've got than trying to work on in a less demanding job - it's equally possible that you'd do worse.

If it's worthwhile to try to carry on working and your self-esteem can handle the challenge of taking on a more junior, less well-paid post, then it may be worth while to push your employer into thinking about whether there are other roles you could safely and effectively fulfil within the organisation now it isn't practical for you to carry on nursing. Your current employer and colleagues will be far more receptive than any new employer to recruiting you for a role different to your previous job.

As suggestions for roles you could perform well even in spite of the AD, how about:-

- preparing and adapting teaching material to provide induction for "temp" nurses and junior colleagues?
- providing mentoring services for junior staff?
- working as a healthcare assistant in the wards where you'd be closely supervised and supported by your colleagues?

 

[canary]

Hello Kassy. I seem to remember you saying that you need to work for another year in the NHS before you would be eligible for early retirement.
If you can, I would try to work that extra year and if you have to take on a more junior role, so be it. I think that your employer is duty bound to try and find you a job that you can do if you cannot do your present one.