time off work for hospital appointment

BobQ

noelphobic wrote: »

I consider being called a troll to be rude.

What you were called was not rude and was actually a question.

Ah - trolling or incapable of reading... which is it?

Your response (that you were being accused of being a troll) suggests that you may be the latter rather than the former.

Savvy_Sue

poet123 wrote: »

The legal position is quite clear, unless you comply with the request to show apt details you have no right to the time off, unless you are pregnant.

Even if you are pregnant, you can quite reasonably be asked to show your appointment card or letters ...

AP007 wrote: »

You also think that when you call in sick at some places that only hr and your manger know whats wrong with you?

It's often 'natural' and a friendly enquiry to ask why someone is off sick. The answer has to be 'sorry, can't say'.

Poppy9

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

It's often 'natural' and a friendly enquiry to ask why someone is off sick. The answer has to be 'sorry, can't say'.

But it always gets out as one person will just tell one person that they can trust and they tell one person and then everyone knows.

I do sympathise with OP having to show appt. letter if it is clear what the appt. is for. In my work place (public sector) you have to show letters for hospital appointments and they photocopy and put it on your HR file for ever!

Sometimes it is very clear from the letter heading what you are having treatment for and sometimes you just want to keep it private because you don't know what you are dealing with and also it might affect your career in work.

Instances can be for breast cancer investigation as the letter from my NHS has the unit name as part of letter head. Do you want your Boss constantly asking "any news yet"

As someone has also mentioned MH treatment - may not want employer to know as they feel they might judge them.

Fertility treatment - then your employer knows you might go off on maternity leave!!

When I had to undergo traction and physio I had an appt. card. It just said name of NHS trust on front and handwritten the dept. and my appt. time. I only had to show this once and I could have easily photocopied it and blanked out the dept. so perhaps OP could ask hospital for an appt. card to show work.

AP007

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Even if you are pregnant, you can quite reasonably be asked to show your appointment card or letters ...

It's often 'natural' and a friendly enquiry to ask why someone is off sick. The answer has to be 'sorry, can't say'.

I know that when I have been off sick near on everyone would know why because ask and people tell them.

chuckley

cant u just give them a letter like the ones you get at A&E which just states your name and that you attended an appointment on xxx date?

I had to get one once and they make no mention of what you were there for.

j.e.j.

Poppy9 wrote: »

But it always gets out as one person will just tell one person that they can trust and they tell one person and then everyone knows.

100% agree with you ^^^
Inevitably someone will whisper it to someone else "in confidence, you understand.." who will let slip or drop hints 'in confidence' to some other person who is asking questions, and before you know it, the whole team knows, or at least has a chinese-whispers version of the reason you are absent from work.

It would actually be very difficult for the employee to take any action concerning breach of confidentiality in these instances, because how would you prove which person it was who told someone?

There are many, many reasons why medical details must remain private (unless of course you don't mind people knowing). And private does not mean telling the manager, or even HR for that matter.

j.e.j.

chuckley wrote: »

cant u just give them a letter like the ones you get at A&E which just states your name and that you attended an appointment on xxx date?

I had to get one once and they make no mention of what you were there for.

this sounds like a good idea. will OP's work accept something like this?

anamenottaken

j.e.j. wrote: »

this sounds like a good idea. will OP's work accept something like this?

If you read the thread (and I know it is rather long now), you will see that simply the name of the institution would indicate the nature of the reason for the appointment.

Old_Git

i would say the appointment was made over the phone .

SarEl

Old_Git wrote: »

i would say the appointment was made over the phone .

So the employer says "fine - get it confirmed in writing and you can have the time off".

Anyway, the OP is obviously never coming back because none of the answers are the one they want.