Still feel dreadful, need a Fit for Work note.

[Dogrose]

The HR woman at work says I need a fit for work note to keep on working there, to be honest I don't feel well enough and they have another person lined up to cover all my shifts if I do leave, but I can't afford to leave. I'm hoping the total stranger GP I have managed to arrange to see might give me a two week sick note, or maybe even a month. I think my overdraft can cover me for a month though I don't think I will be able to pay it back!

A month off would be nice, even if we have to turn the heating off to be able to afford it.

In the mean time the cold I seem to have had since before Christmas is still there, sore throat and terrible tiredness and two weeks from my last Humira I'm back to being in too much pain to sleep. Amytryptilline will help me sleep but dries my sore throat out by morning so badly I'm put off taking it.

I know this post is all gloomy but no one else wants to hear me dirge so you lot have to get it!

Hope you are all doing better than me!

Off to the hospital Opthamologist tomorrow to see if there is any permanent damage to my eyes. Oh the never ending fun!

[Hidden]

I am in a similar position can really symapthise .. see my blog post too

[Dogrose in reply to Hidden]

I've never heard of a fit for work note, not even sure how easy they are to get.

[Dotty7]

It's the new name for a sick note, that's all. But it has a space on it for the doctor to write down things which would enable you to return to work, eg phased return, part time hours etc. But they aren't obliged to fill it in, if you are totally unfit at present.

[sylvi]

I have heard of a fit to work note. I think your workplace should be finding out how to make your life easier for you to go back to work. Don't you worry about moaning on here because we all do it from time to time and we all understand what your going through. xxxx

[Hidden]

DR Will write a fit to work but sometimes attaches conditions such as reduced hours..

[Dogrose]

My hours have been reduced to virtually nothing, today I did 4 hours, after three I was feeling dizzy and sick. It isn't a hard job, just sitting behind a till serving occasional customers. Part of me wishes the doctor will say there is no way I should be working at all. xx

[Hidden]

my boss doesnt like the fact gp and occ health both suggest reduced hours#

[Dogrose]

I don't see anyone from occupational health, should I be?

[nottsexsportfanatic in reply to Dogrose]

Depends on the size of the company is my understanding. But as others have said above your gp should b able to make suggestions on the fitness to work. My gp for example said that I should b able to do my marking and lesson planning at home.

[Dotty7 in reply to nottsexsportfanatic]

Did your school agree to this? And is it working out for you? I'm just interested in how schools manage with making reasonable adjustments for teachers. Mine was good initially, but once they realised that RA was not only incurable but only likely to get worse, they wanted rid of me. They didn't want to do any further reduction in hours because of causing split classes, and because the head said he couldn't see that it was going to succeed anyway. And to be fair he had a point - my fatigue and brain fog are so random and unpredictable, that there was no guarantee that if I was working only two days a week that I'd be fit for work on those two days.

[nottsexsportfanatic in reply to Dotty7]

I actually work in an fe college, but we have similar funding issues. My new boss is great. So long as I do my agreed teaching hours she is flexible over where I do my admin time. It did helo that I worked hard toreceive a grade 1 at this years lesson observation though.

We r protected by the dda so they must make reasonable adjustments and there is government funding available to help financially with this and phased returns. Think I got that info from nras website in one of their back to work guides.

Give nras a ring as they will know which information leaflet that was in so u can pass that to ur boss or hr.

Hope this helps.

Tina

[Dotty7 in reply to nottsexsportfanatic]

I'm not working any more. They really didn't want me! I had all the info, and could have contested it but it would have been a long struggle and to be honest I wasn't well enough to do the job any more. So we reached an agreement which brought it all to a close very quickly.

But I do think some of the things which might normally be seen as reasonable adjustments are hard to apply in schools because of the inflexibility of the timetable.

[nottsexsportfanatic in reply to Dotty7]

I know what u mean about strength to fight the tribunal I have a friend in that unfortunate position and she is exhausted by it all. She is considering taking an exit offering just so she can stop the battle and save her strength for battling the illness.

Im sure there r many more in a similar position too, as if we dont have enough to contend with. Good luck to everyone battling to stay in work.

[Dotty7 in reply to nottsexsportfanatic]

If the exit offering is generous enough, it's worth considering. My concern if I went to a tribunal was that they might make them let me keep on working there!

[Dotty7]

Yes, certainly. Ask your HR lady about it.