What do you think will happen to me???

Question

I have a crumbling spine & have been off work for quite a while (I am back now) this is a recurring problem & have now been told by my boss i have to be referred to Occ Health again. (This is the 2nd time)There are 5 things that can happen to me. the worst is I can be, 1.medically retired & not able to work again.2.medically retired from NHS 3.NHS find me another job (but this won't make my back improve so the sickness will probably not improve) a couple of others which i can't remember them. So what do you think my chances are of either keeping or losing my job? A light insight to my job is i work with patients in a clinic, which is not physical.. By the way when i applied for the job 3 years ago i was more than honest with my back on the application form & at the interview.

Skaisun..Firstly I don't like you r choice of words....Layman!! I gave as much info as I needed to. Age, etc is irrelavant, rights are rights....Perhaps you haven't heard of the NHS it is a huge organisation !! i merely wanted some advice not jumped up opinions..

Christi C. thank you. what a good answer. I have actually discussed the possibility of 'down grading' but who wants to do that in all honesty??perhaps i will just push for retirement....by the way
I am ONLY 48 !!! Thank you for a sensible reply

Answer 1

Occupational health should be able to work with your employer and physican to find reasonable accomodations for your type of work. Your boss may be referring you, again, to cover his butt and the company. Your straightforward question to Occ health should be, "What do you think I need to do, to keep my job with reasonable accomodations?" Would it help to transfer to another position? I would definitely get a copy of your application where you were honest about the problem and keep it in your file should you need it in the future should you lose your job. At worst, you may be refered to vocational rehab to find you training for another job that will accept the accommodations and limitations that you have. Good luck and best wishes for you.

Answer 2

Don't forget that Occ. Health is there for your benefit as well as your employers, who have a responsibility to ensure that you are not jeopardising your long term health.

Is there anything that O.H. can do to make your workplace more 'friendly' towards your spinal condition? Have a think. It may be that some equipment needs modification to accomodate you, for instance.

Might I also suggest that you seek an interview with Human Resources, to see what might be on offer if you do end up having to rethink your career? Even though you were honest about your back problems from the out-set, that WAS 3 years ago and clearly your condition has altered during that time.
It may well be that your knowledge and skills can be used effectively elsewhere.

I suspect that the respondent who castigated you for 'naming the company' didn't realise that you were talking about the National Health Service, here in the UK.

Answer 3

I love it when laymen attempt to use technical jargon, like "crumbling spine"! ;)

Seriously, though, you omitted so many details, that it is astonishing that you'll get any "quality" answers: How old are you? How long have you been at the current job? Have you left other jobs because of your alleged injury? What treatment(s) you are seeking, if any? How many medical bills have you racked-up, presumably paid for to some degree by your employer's insurance? What is your job? ("not physical" is peculiarly vague; I'm also suspicious of your using the NHS name; most people in your situation would not reveal the company name, and, instead, use the words "hospital" or "medical facility". If you're afraid of being "caught" writing about this, then why mention "NHS", but not what you do there?).

Regardless, since your boss has already called you in for the "second time" on this, the situation is out of our (and, pretty much, your) hands.

The only thing I can suggest is that you are gainfully employed, and the employer agreed to take you on, even though you claim they knew of your disability in advance. Even if your medical bills are sky-high, the employer can't, legally, do anything about terminating you, assuming that's what you're concerned about (you *might* be eligible for protection under the Disabilities Act, but I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV!). ;)

The next time you ask a question (I also noticed that your Q&A are "private", which tells me that you're afraid people will notice that you ask purposely vague questions), use something more explicit than "What do you think will happen to me?", which is melodramatic and pointless; "Can I be fired for a growing disability?" would have been better. You'll get far more answers with a precisely worded question and details, and omit the potentially libelous company names, etc.

Good luck!