Caterina57 Update

caterina57

Hi everyone
Just thought that I would update you all, I have been for my GP appt this morning, confirmation given from xray of diagnosis of lumbar and cervical spondylosis /OA. GP has said that I could go back to work on a phased return and reduced hours (no more than 4 a day) with no bending or lifting (I am a carer /co-ordinator) I emailed work yesterday and they are now saying I can't go back to work without a report from GP that they have reuested. (GP says that he hasn't recieved it)

I think that this may be the start of a battle!

My meds have been increased and I now have addition of Amitriptyline, am on the waiting list for Hydrotherapy and have to go back to physio for a walking stick.

Cath

tjt6768

Hi Cath, I hope things don't become an issue with work, have you got a decent HR there?
I know when my OH had a phased return they were really good with her, still are..
Gotta go now but best of luck with it all...

Wonder if they will give you one of the snazzy ergonomic sticks like mine, it's shaped for the hand.. Oh, aren't we just a bunch of style icons! :shock: :roll:

Catch you later on

julie47

Hi Cath
just want to wish you luck and I too hope that you haven't a battle on your hands. I hope that your employer is kind, you have enough to cope with.
Take care
Juliepf x

traluvie

Hi Cath..

Did your GP mention what he wrote in the report?
From what i am aware they have to follow doctors orders otherwise they could get into trouble...
How do you feel now after seeing your GP
The amitriplyine have helped me alot at night... hope they work for you too..

skezier

Hi Cath,

Sorry only just seen this.

I do hope that work aren't going to get stupid. You might have to get it from them and take it to the gp maybe? That way you would know that he has had it? I don''t know that you could do it the other way round but you might be able to take it back to them if the docs agree to that?

Really hope the tablets help you and they don't keep you waiting too long for the hydro... Tis good stuff that.

Did you get the stick yet or are you having to wait for an appointment for that one? Will hope that you get some decent breaks in luck soon Cath. ((( ))) Cris xx

caterina57

A further update !!! I have just come back from my GP where I have read and signed the report. To summarise my Dr has written that it is unlikely that I will ever be totally pain free and that the severity of the pain will vary because the condition is unpredictable. He has suggested that I return to work on a phased basis starting with a few hours a day.

I now have to wait for work to decide what to do regarding my return to work, after the meeting I had with my manager I am of the opinion that they want me back full time and want me signed off as being fully fit permanently ... I will just have to wait and see.
Cath

tillytop

Hello Cath

I am glad you have now seen the GP report and it does sound as if your GP has a good understanding of the situation and has been fair in his report.

Really good luck when you meet with your employers. Hopefully they will accommodate this phased return to work and you will not have too much of a battle...It's very hard when employers don't understand isn't it?

Love Tilly xxx

caterina57

Thanks Tilly
But somehow I think that there will be a battle, because I think that even if they agree to the phased return and less hours initially I think they will put a time line on it and I just know that I can't ever again manage full time work.
Cath

tillytop

Oh I am sorry Cath. I do think employers are very short-sighted sometimes, because I reckon it is far better to have a committed employee on shorter hours than to lose the experienced person and have to recruit again.

Do you think your employer would be open to suggestions about how your job could be changed to accommodate your difficulties? For example you say that you work as a carer/co-ordinator - would there be an opportunity for you to do more of the co-ordinator bit do you think to reduce the need for bending and lifting? My experience is that employers can be very "blinkered" and have a very "all or nothing" approach. But, if you are able to suggest something they haven't thought of, it would show that you are committed to continuing to work for them to the best of your ability. When I was working, I was able to negotiate reduced hours on a trial basis (my suggestion). That way, rather than just going with their initial reaction of "can't be done" I was able to show that it was feasible and they then agreed to a permanent reduction in hours. It's probably more difficult in your case because you do a physical job but going in with a positive "how can we make tihs work" attitude, might make your employers think about it a bit more. Just a thought...

Good luck with it all.

Love Tilly xxx

caterina57

I agree fully with you Tilly -but- I think they will focus more on what I can't do than what I can do and the reason I think this is because they are extremely short of carers at the moment and that obviously has to be a priority before I went off sick I was working doing both the care and the coordination of care which meant 12-14hrs 7 days a week .

tillytop

Hello again Cath

Oh I can see why it is going to be difficult - and why it is so hard for you to continue to do your work, given the horrendously long hours and the physically hard work.

Please do let us know when you have a date for your work meeting so we can be thinking of you.

Love Tilly xxx

caterina57

Thanks again Tilly,
I will make a post whenI know when the meeting is cos I will definately need some support
Cath

skezier

Hi Cath,

i agree with the others and well its so short sighted of them to take the line they have.

I also agree take someone with you to the meeting. I so hope they will agree to the phased return and at least gibe you a chance!

hang in their flower. Cris xx

barbara12

Hi Cath
Sorry I am late seeing your post, I do hope that your employers can come up with up with something for you, it would be mad of them to start getting on there high horse.
Del has given you a good link there.
I really do wish you well with this, and we will all be ready for pocket duties
Good Luck
Love
Barbara x

caterina57

Thank you all for your support I am guessing that the meeting will be towards the end of next week, but I will let you know. Thanks for offers of pocket duties - Can I loan the big waistcoat with lots of pockets please?
Cath

chris7

Hi Cath

Glad your GP is being supportive there, but you have my sympathy on the work front. I do hope the meeting goes ok and that they do agree to shorter hours or lighter duties to see how you cope. Don't let them bully you, I will be jumping in a pocket to lend some morale support when you need us.
take care
Chris

traluvie

Hi Cath,

I really hope work follow the doctors advice, be so nice for you to have support and be able to stay at work..
I understand what you mean about your employer not being happy with the possibilty of you not being able to return to full duties.. i believe my employers feel the same..
It's so hard as you already feel like you are in a battle with your health and then you have another battle trying to stay in work... Like were fighting all the time.. be nice to have a break lol..
Hopefully your employer will contact you next week regarding the report and you may know a bit more..
Keep us posted..

speedalong

Hi Cath,

I am of the opinion that they want me back full time and want me signed off as being fully fit permanently ... I will just have to wait and see.

Well we'd all like that to happen to ourselves - bosses often don't seem to realise - they only have to accomodate our arther at work, we have to accomodate it 24/7.

Have you seen occy health? Would equipment help you cope better at work? If so you need to contact the disability person at job centre plus re having an access to work assessment - which could result in your job being made a bit easier.

It is my understanding that the GPs recommendations are just that, they are not legally binding in terms of the compromises needed for you to return to work.

Speedy

Speedy

caterina57

Hi Speedy.
I have had a meeting with a Workplace Health Advisor who works for the NHS Community Health Service, I was asked to see him by my GP as he visits my surgery on a regular basis, he has confirmed that he will offer support through the process although work have absolutely no idea that I have taken this advice!
As I previously stated my GP has said that I am currently fit to work on a phased basis, with reducede hours and that I am not to do any bending or lifting.
There is no question that there are duties attached to my role that I can continue to do - Assessements, reviews, staff supervision, allocation of care, & the general administration duties that are necessary. The problem as I see it is that none of these tasks actually bring in any money for the company, The money comes from elderly and vulnerable people who pay for care services and at the moment the company is etremely short of carers - for a number of reasons which I won't go into here.

Therefore it is expected that all uncovered care will be picked up by coordinators, which is why prior to my sick leave I was workig both roles which meant I was working 12-14 hours a day.
I have alrady said that I will not be able to do any personal care, which I think causes an immediate problem, additionally although they may allow me to return on a phased basis and reduced hours they will undoubtedly want an understanding of when I will be able to return to full duties.
want
From my perspective I cannot see me working full time again, from their perspective they want staff who are prepared to work full contracted hours and overtime to pick up all unallocated work. I don't know if they will agree to me being contracted part-time and not undertake any personal care duties, lets face it lots of my colleagues would prefer to do that and I am not sure that they would be prepared to set a precedent with me!

I think that they may agree to a phased return with reduced hours, but only for a limited period. I think I am going to have to be very clear about my limitations both current and in the long term. The alternative of course is that I could be finished on the grounds of capability,
Sorry if I seem to have waffled(but It has helped get it clearer in my own head)
Cath

dreamdaisy

You didn't waffle in the slightest, that was very clear and I think you are in for a fight. They won't want to know if you cannot resume doing your 12-14hour days as before. You know in your heart of hearts that that won't be possible, so the impasse has been reached already. You need a nice, settled office-based admin job which they could provide but probably won't. Is it time to start looking around? I know that the jobs market is not exactly vibrant at the moment but there must be something out there for you which is better suited to your new needs. I know, I know, it's pie-in-the-sky thinking. DD

caterina57

Thanks DD
The way I feel at the moment I could do with a job working 1 hour a day. with 1/2 hour for lunch! LOL

On a more serious note though I do feel that I need to tak care of myself better both physically and emotionally. I have worked for this company for just over a year and have had 3 periods off sick due to my Spondylosis and arthritis, so it not that the company don't know my problems and limitations - they just dont care about them.

The frustration is that my condition is unpredicatble, for years I have had constant pain ( I first started with my back problems in 1991 when I was bedridden for 6 weeks) The reality is that although I have constant pain and have had for so long, it varies in severity from day to day and of course it is unpredictable, although I know that if I overdo thinks it will be worse and if I am not active enough I am extremely stiff, therefore I try to manage periods of activity and rest in equal measure, when my back is very bad the only solution is to go to bed to try and stretch out until it settles down.

We can only see what the outcome of the meeting will be - from my point I think I have to be very clear and firm about what I can and can't do - I will not allow myself to be bullied (My manager is a bully and works on the basis that if you dont do the extra personal care -you personally are responsible for placing a vulnerable person at risk)

What will be will be, and If I have some of you in my pockets I know I will be the stronger for it.
Cath

dreamdaisy

Do your best to hold on to that resolve, caterina57. You have summed up your position extremely well and if the emotional balckamil is aimed at you immediately deflect it by pointing out that THEY are the ones risking the clients' health by demanding far too much of you - you cannot lift, you cannot now physically cope with those demands and yet that is what they want. If you drop someone that rebounds on them, surely. I think they could surely sort out an office-based role for you if they wanted, and I can see that there is a paucity of actual care workers but that is their problem, not yours. Stick to your guns, we'll be behind you firing away on your behalf, and start looking for a nice little admin post, just in case. I guess that an early retirement is out of the question - but would something part-time bring in enough shekels? DD

caterina57

Morning DD, the joke in all of this is that my position should predominently be an office based role, but due to staff shortages the expectation to cover the care on an extra hours basis is whathas put me in this position. Part time would be ideal for me - but not for them! And I still do have this feeling (don't know why) that unless I can tell them that I am fully fit, and can return to full duties (and more) they will probably say that they will finish me on grounds of capability - but we will see - They might turn out to be kind. caring, and considerate and agree to the phased return with reduced hours that my GP is recommending - after all they are a CARE company!
Cath

dreamdaisy

I guess we will just have to wait and see. Part of me thinks you would be better off without the stress of this but then I also realise that I am in the position of having someone to pick up the financial slack, so to speak, so that is very easy for me to say. Yes, they are a care organisation but like many of these things I suspect they are in it for the exorbitant fees they can charge whilst ensuring they 'work' on very low overheads, eg by employing three people to do the work of six (or even nine). Let's cross bridges as we reach them , yes? You never know . . . DD

speedalong

Hi Caterina, is it in your contract that you will deliver the care of clients when there is a shortage of care staff? If not I think you should seek union advice. I'm not great on the workplace stuff, but it might be worth posting this on the working matters forum.

I agree with DD, in the meantime keep your eye open for more suitable work ...

Speedy

caterina57

My job description does include the need to provide personal care as necessary, however I didnt realise that would me as well as my normal office hours! I believe that should be as part of my nomal hours of work i.e 40 per week (we dont get paid for the supposed half hour lunch break we have) The personal carebit is further complicated by the fact that we dont get paid travelling time between calls, and only get paid for the actual time spent in the call ie if its a 20min call and you only stay 17mins you get paid 17 mins. Its a very clever way for the company to make a big profit. So often you could be out say 8hrs providing care but only get paid for 3.

Yes I am looking for work alternatives, but it is not easy, when I had a period of redundancy a couple of years ago(didnt get redundancy pay cos I had not worked long enough) I found it very difficult to get back into work - who wants to take on a 54 year old, with a history of chronic pain and sickness leave?

Cath