Hi all
If I decide to self isolate, do I need a GP sick note or can this be processed online? I have checked online and read several articles but I can only see the facility if you have coronavirus or think you have.
Still a lot of unclear information out there
Ideally discuss with your employer. You could self certify for the initial week, whilst you sort things out. Best wishes Kevin
Hi Charlie_25
are you able to work from home? my understanding is if you fall into the venerable category you must be offered to work from home first.
You can get sick pay from day 1 now but ideally you would want to avoid this and opt for work at home to maintain your salary. x
Hi there. I am currently off work as I was experiencing joint pains and extreme tiredness. Due to go back early April but worried to return.
Problem is we dont have enough laptops to go round so dont think an option to work from home.
The lack of laptop issue is your employers problem to sort out not yours. They shouldn't put you at risk because of a lack of equipment.
Hi happytulip. You have no idea, apparently very little hand sanitiser available. I think a lot of employers thought it would blow by but now they are seeing how serious the matter is
Hi Charlie,
Sorry my reply probably seemed a little short, in two ways. I'm sorry, just very tired.
I think that it is totally understandable for you to be concerned about returning. If you've been off sick for a while it is daunting to go back anyway, let alone in the middle of this.
I do understand though. I've spent most of yesterday helping a friend with AS who is on biologicals, pred and MTX help convince her boss that she meets the high risk criteria, despite a consultants letter and GP note. She is currently neutropenic and works as a hair dresser. The salon won't shut so she wasn't able to self distance let alone self isolate.
And all of Friday was spent trying to help another friend who has kidney, heart, resp and neuro problems who is on biologicals, pred and MTX. Her boss told her that her work did not put her at risk and she should remain at work even though she could have done admin from home. But her boss insisted that she stayed. It was only when her union got involved that it got sorted. Her job was working in a lab analysing Covid-19 samples!!
I totally agree with you that many businesses had not and still do not appreciate how serious this is. I am also learning that many otherwise intelligent people just cannot understand how sick some of us could get if we were to contract the virus.
I agree with Kevin. Self certify and use the time to organise the details that you need to work from home.
Try to keep the stress levels as low as possible or you might flare.
I was wondering if you were a member of a union so they could take the issue up for you?
OMG Happytulip,
Like anyone wants to be in an at risk bracket.
I agree lack of computers is not the responsibility of the employees.
All companies are to offer work from home where possible.
Happytulip I have workers at my job who are working from home but they won't give me the opportunity. I am currently only on steroids. I was due to discuss alternative meds last Wednesday but of course the appointments were cancelled.
My advice Charlie, do not accept sick pay when you are willing to work from home. I have just emailed the person who owns my company expressing how much help I can be from home. I was going to wait until Monday, but advice and guidelines are ever changing. I would certainly get it in writing how you will work from home.
I have a sneaky feeling that many employers will push us to take sick leave as the government is giving them the money back to pay our sick leave. Do not be forced into sick leave when you are not sick. xx
Unfortunately a small firm and we do not have a union. I plan to speak to my consultant and GP this week to seek further advice.
My employer will not spend any extra money, when another branch asked for sanitiser they were told 'wash your hands and sing happy Birthday'
Thank you for your advice
its so shocking to see such an ugly side of the people you work for. Money for some makes them very ugly in deed.
I work in the borough of London... Im not risking it. I have children to consider and you have your own health to consider. Do not play Russian roulette with it.
Please let us know how you get on. xxx
Hi Lisalou, I still have two weeks yet to decide what I'm going to do. Going to think carefully over my options.
We all need money but if we are not here, it wont matter.
It just scares me the ignorance and greed of people. I also think Boris is too softly softly to be honest.
I'm very worried what the next few weeks will lead to when we see poor Italy. Just heartbreaking
It is so heartbreaking . It is not helping us that people are not listening. If we just stop carrying on as normal and stay in doors as much as possible we can protect the NHS, which will then protect us.
Im not sure how long you have been off sick for, but you can stay off for 28 weeks.
If you go back theres no 3 day rule for SSP , so if you need to go off sick again your leave will continue until you have used up all 28 weeks. xx
I have been off two weeks and two weeks still remaining.
At this time I just care about my health and my family, friends and community. Money wont replace lives.
Thank you for your comments. Take care xx
It may be that there isnt any hand sanitiser as even hospital are running out, washing ur hands with hot water and soap is the first step and effective and if done regularly is fine.
Being tougher on the ignorant is not easy. It’s a bit like asking a burglar to work from home! Softly softly is probably a balanced approach. It’s the tipping point on whether this is an eight week or one hundred week problem.
Discussion with your manager. My reading is you can self isolate as you are at risk and it’s done as sick pay. But, the assumption was if you are not ill that you awoke from home. Today’s letters may change things as you essentially now forced to self isolate.
Boris said employers should not push for sick notes. If you have symptoms you should self isolate for up to 14 days. Not sure what happens after that unless you are high risk. Stay safe
Hi Charlie, how are you feeling today? Anymore thoughts on the work situation?
Morning. I'm not feeling too bad thanks. As it stands at the minute, I dont think I will be returning for a few weeks. It is too risky plus the staff that are left are going to be left with a heavy workload. At the minute I dont need that added worry
Hi happytulip. Hope you're keeping well. My employer called yesterday and seemed to think I would be in the office again. I confirmed I wouldn't be until after 12 weeks anyway. I asked about working from home but no immediate response so just waiting on the call. If working from home cannot be arranged I will just stay off as it is too risky.
Have you noticed GPs seem to have different viewpoints on self isolation?
What meds are you on Charlie? I presume you have a diagnosis of SLE? And is your job customer or client facing?
I'm on hydroxychloroquine and my job is customer facing
My GP has been very supportive and it's his personal view that SLE patients should all self isolate because if they did get Corona they would more likely need hospital, this putting more pressure on NHS.
The guidelines have changed so I suspect that you would be having to either self-isolate or self-distance taking extra care. But my confusion is this, if you are at risk (which you are), why hasn't your employer arranged for you to work from home if this is an option? Or at least if you go back to work can you work in a back office away from the general public?
It baffles me more why managers are so reluctant to keep their staff healthy. I think the GPs are working frantically hard, under immense pressure with constantly changing goal posts. Some people are telling me that their GPs are sounding impatient, curt or harsh with their patients. I genuinely believe that a good GP is allowed a bad day during this pandemic. Stress will get to any human.
The guidelines are out there for mangers to follow and negotiate with their employees. The government has said a sick note is now not necessary needed in all cases. They've done that to decrease the workload of the GPs. Yet the GPs will still get calls about it.
Let us know how you get on with your manager.
I am sticking to my guns and definitely not going in. There are approximately 5 in and there is the problem of using toilet, kitchen facilities.
I think they were genuinely surprised I wasnt going in even though they were told of my diagnosis straightaway.
It's all about profits at the end of the day, not about staff welfare.
Even though I am only taking hydroxychloroquine, it's only been about 5 weeks and it still hasn't regulated. So I still have joint pain, mouth ulcers etc.
I did think long and hard about work and I decided it would be good for me to do something as it could be a long few months.
But if they cant give me anything, I will just stay off until this all blows by.
My clinic has been helpful but I cant get a straight answer. I know the information keeps changing but one GP says one thing and another says the opposite. I'm not taking any chances as my condition is not under control yet and I'm scared as many people are.
Stay safe x
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