Work shows no compassion over very lll daughter.

Shak1rak

My one yearold daughter was rushed into hospital a few months back in a coma. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Thankfully she is ok and pulled through it but is now classed as severely disabled due to the need of care she requires.

My partner had 2 weeks off work this was including the week she was in hospital and the following week to go to out patient appointments to learn insulin administering, carb counting sessions, dietricians etc etc.

His work made him take the time off as holiday.

Since her initial discharge from hospital she has been rushed back to hospital about 6-7 times due to having tonsillitis and another viral infection. Whilst she was Ill with these her diabetes levels went through the roof and we were unable to control her diabetes ourselves at home.

My partner has had a further 2 days off work for this.

His place off work made him have these 2 days off work as unpaid and for any hospital appointments where we go over her diabetes control with the consultants he has been told he must take the time up to them.

I have had to quit my job since all this has started so I can look after her and give her the life saving medication she requires so as you can imagine every penny counts and for I'm to have to have unpaid days off if she has been rushed into hospital etc is obviously effecting us quite badly.

Does anyone have any advise etc on anything linked to this situation that may hel us please. Thanks.

ILW

Whilst your situation is very sad, why should your husbands employer carry a financial burden?

Shak1rak

ILW wrote: »

Whilst your situation is very sad, why should your husbands employer carry a financial burden?

No help or advise then. Thanks

Ms_Chocaholic

I wonder if you both need to go to the Consultant appointments; as you are the primary carer, can you not go to these alone which would allow him to work on these days/times.

Tigsteroonie

He would be entitled to Parental Leave if his daughter is now disabled, but that is unpaid and you generally have to give notice.

He might have been entitled to a day's 'emergency' paid leave when this first happened.

Other than that, no offence but what remedy would you like? An employer is not going to offer additional paid leave just because an employee has a disabled child (that's why unpaid parental leave is more generous in cases of disability).

If finances are a problem, have you considered claiming DLA for your daughter? A middle-rate care DLA award could lead to higher CTC and possibly Carer's Allowance for yourself.

pickpocketlocket

The fact that his employer is showing flexibility would say to me that they are being compassionate.

meer53

If he was her only parent then i could understand your post. But you are now there for her full time to be able to accompany her to appointments etc.

His employer has already given him 2 weeks holiday at very short notice and a further 2 days off. You can hardly say they've not shown any compassion can you ?

At the end of the day, they have a business to run, isn't it better he does what he has to do to keep his job seeing as he's now the only earner in the family for now ?

Look into claiming any allowances you are entitled to as advised. Once her condition is stabilised will you be able to return to work ?

Shak1rak

Fingers crossed It will stabilise soon as we are 3months in now and with one wage gone and with loss of some of his wages it's pretty tight.

I didn't realise you could claim a carers allowance, and I didn't realise that ctc could be increased some so that's great, I have looked into that.

Our daughter is up literally throughout the whole night and we are doing blood testings and insulin correction doses pretty much every hour and a half so as you can imagine I am up throughout night and then all day everyday... Her dad needs to be able to recognise certain sign symptoms of Hypos, hypers etc regarding her illness... He also has to be there when we are learning about different types of medication pumps, pens etc and how to use them and to make choices on which ones we think might suit etc.

The fact that we get rushed to a and e on advise of diabetes nurse, yes he does require the time off... What parent would happily go to work whilst his daughter is hooked up to machines through severe dehydration and needing constant insulin going through a pump... The way that his work expressed it was lacking compassion but I guess you had to hear the tone of his boss when she said it.

The most important thing would be that we can both physically be able to know what to do in an emergency (which she tends to have quite a few of recently). All without the extra stress and worry of falling into rent arrears of not being able to afford bills.

The help or advise I was asking about was actually referring to what extras we may be able to claim due to what's happening with work... I didn't mean it to read what can I do about them not paying him.

Thanks.

ILW

Shak1rak wrote: »

The help or advise I was asking about was actually referring to what extras we may be able to claim due to what's happening with work... I didn't mean it to read what can I do about them not paying him.

Thanks.

To be fair to some of the less than positive replies, your heading did just refer to lack of compassion shown by your husbands employer.

pickpocketlocket

Shak1rak wrote: »

The help or advise I was asking about was actually referring to what extras we may be able to claim due to what's happening with work... I didn't mean it to read what can I do about them not paying him.

Thanks.

It's a shame you didn't mention this in the OP!

You may be entitled to claim DLA for your daughter, but this will depend what care needs she has beyond those of another child of her age. If she is eligible for MRC or HRC then you could claim Carers Allowance. You should take advice on this from your Diabetes Nurse.

Tigsteroonie

Shak1rak wrote: »

Her dad needs to be able to recognise certain sign symptoms of Hypos, hypers etc regarding her illness... He also has to be there when we are learning about different types of medication pumps, pens etc and how to use them and to make choices on which ones we think might suit etc.

The fact that we get rushed to a and e on advise of diabetes nurse, yes he does require the time off...

^^ This is just something that you learn to accept is now part of your life. I work full-time, Marley stays home with our son and is considered the primary carer. Some appointments they attend without me; and for others I use either annual leave (paid) or parental leave (unpaid) depending on how much notice we get. I've had to call on my employer's good nature for "emergency leave" for a morning only once in the last year.

Whilst I can sympathise, I think that his employer is being as compassionate as they can be - there is no remedy for extra paid leave, and in allowing him to take annual leave at short notice they are demonstrating compassion (imagine the problems this may have caused in terms of redistributing his workload or arranging somebody else to cover).

Hopefully once your daughter's diabetes is stabilised, this time of stress and emergency appointments will pass. :A