Employer contacted GP without telling me

nicplymstock

Hi all
I just want to ask a question- I work for a primary school and provided a letter to my employer recently about some absence I had from work earlier this year. My employer felt that the letter wasn't 'detailed' enough and called my GP to try and find out 'further information' (her words). She said that the personnel service at county level had said she was within her rights to do this. My GP didn't answer any questions and said he was not prepared to discuss it.

I now face potentail discilinary over this- union is involved. Are they in their rights to phone my GP in the first place? Is this unprofessional? The didn't tell me they were going to call him.
thanks all

DVardysShadow

I would say that they are out of order to contact the GP behind your back. As the union are involved make sure your rep knows that they have tried this. It puts the employer a bit more on the backfoot, but don't over play it.

j.e.j.

It's good that your GP refused to discuss it over the phone, - that could have been anyone calling! I think employers do sometimes write to health professionals, but it would be courteous if they approached you first.. Is there anything in your employment contract about this?

nicplymstock

I'm not sure about my contract- I assume it is just a general teacher's contract but not totally sure.

skintandscared_2

Even if you see a firm's doctor, the doctor is not allowed to discuss your health matters with your firm without your express permission.

What are they discliplining you over? Is there a reason they don't believe your sickness explanation and want more details? Is there a reason you don't want to tell them?!

nicplymstock

I think they don't believe my absence even though my GP letter that I got recently explains a bit about it it- it is quite complex. I just looked ay my school absence policy and it does say that '
· In dealing with individual absence issues, the school aims to act reasonably at all times, taking account of all the circumstances.

my point it that they aren't entitled to 'more details' are they?

crazyguy

Yes raise this with the Union as the Head Teacher should not have phoned the GP at all and will likely to be repremanded over this action, they should have came to you and asked for a more detailed explanation/ letter from your GP and not taken the above course of action as they chose to do.

It was totaly inapropriate for them to have done this and it seems a lot of Head Teachers do to think they are a law unto themselves, I would be more than unhappy here and making the Union Rep know exactly how I feel in order to push for maximum repercussions against this Head Teachers actions.

( I make the point of Head Teachers doing wrong purely through my dealings with schools and knowing how some are acting regarding there staff. )

Uncertain

I think this is one of those odd situations where the school's behaviour was discourteous, stupid and pointless but possibly technically not wrong.

The GP rightly refused to answer and would have been in considerable trouble if he had.

Equally, I could ring up your GP, say who I was and ask about your health and they would (hopefully) politely tell me to get lost. However, I'm not aware of any law I would have broken by asking as long as I didn't misrepresent who I was.

If the school does want a report from your GP they need your written permission and you have a legal right to see the report before it is sent. The GP will also charge a fee of around £180.

nicplymstock

I have followed the absence proceedure policy with self certification on certain days and doctor's notes on other days. I was recently taken into an office with an assistant head for an 'informal meeting' without the offer of a rep and asked to 'explain' my medical situation, was asked extremely personal questions about my health which I refused to answer. The minutes of this 'informal' meeting were sent to the head. I left the meeting, brough the letter from my GP which explained a bit more but they feel they want 'further information'.

AfricanViolet

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nicplymstock

'I would guess there is something else entirely behind this'

Do you mean that they have a different agenda? My rep said she has dealt with 4 members of staff in the same situation as me- I think they are having a big cut down on absence, but since this health issue earlier in the year I have been in work every day.