Anne McAllister's newest comments

Come on ,lets get real here ......... while you lot down south were whinging about how cold it was and closing down schools and workplaces we (up north) were planting our bedding plants and thinking of turning the heating up a notch.
Even considered wearing a coat at one point !

Carole,
So sorry to hear about your relatives sad plight.
Not enough is being done to safe guard our elderly and I dread reaching that age and finding nothings changed.
A neighbour of mine found herself in hospital recently and when she was discharged I asked her why she didnt contact me to let me know she had been hurt.
Apparently she had given both my numbers to the ward staff (her husband is disabled) and they had tried unsuccessfully to inform me of her admission (on 4 occassions)
With todays technology that is so easy to check out.....and I did....no calls or messages were recieved by either phone apart from 1 which I got on the day she was discharged.
Its so unecessary.

This is horrific.
The womans care would not have been cheap and as such she should have had 5 star treatment.
If hotels charged these amounts and didnt supply the appropriate service they would eventually shut down.
Just when is this country going to acknowledge the plight of our elderly and vulnerable?
The staff in most of these places get paid peanuts but have extremely responsible jobs to do.
Care homes are not charities,they are big business.
Our elderly should be valued much more .
Unfortunately our society no longer sees it as their responsibilty.
Gone are the days when Gran and Granda would be welcomed into an adult childs home and cared for till they died.
Sad but true.

Unfortunately I have noticed that few people now clear their paths and access routes (private homes).
I recall as a child everyone n the street would be out with shovels and spades making sure that the pavements were passable not only for ourselves but for others passing along the route.
In a business environment a reasonable attempt should be made but its a pity that society has permitted this practice to stop.

Hiya,
As I understand it the white med 3 is issued when the patient has been seen on that day or the day before. it cannot be backdated.
The pink med5 can be issued for up to 28days and can be backdated if the patient has been seen before or if a letter from another doctor (discharge letter) is recieved.
Hope that helps.

........"The row surrounding her case reached the House of Commons, with Tory MP Patrick Cormack claiming her case had highlighted the “utter absurdities” of political correctness. ....."
I have to agree with the above statement.
The nurse was not preaching merely offering a prayer.
The patient declined.
The patient did not complain.
It reminds me of a situation I found myself in when working in Ireland.
A senior manager always referred to me as " wee scotchie"
This did not bother me in the least but I was frequently reminded by others that this could be deemed dicrimination (?)
The intention was affectionate and the perception likewise.
Too many people with too much time on their hands.

I dont know the definitive answer to this but would guess only in extreme cases i.e. where there is a substantial risk to H&S of others e.g. airline pilots,train drivers,.
Some meds cause unpleasnat side effects but I agree that it would be between the employee and his GP.

Et applications can be made by the "working man/woman" and legal representation is not necessary.
The ET courts have been designed to enable access to all and recognise that not everyone can afford legal fees etc etc .
In my opinion some lawyers will only entertain those cases that they feel sure to win.

If the patient didnt complain how did the employer know about this conversation?
I may pray for them (Yeah right ) because they may need a litle help when they have to write a big fat cheque out to this lady.

I believe that no one (myself included) is so important that they need to be contactable 24hrs a day...sorry james.
As a working parent I also worry about family,school,etc not being able to get hold of me in an emergency but in reality as long as they have a contact number (usually the office) there is no need to worry.
Mobile phones are becoming quite a distraction in many ways .....hardly anyone uses them just to make and recieve calls these days..... and if you are being paid to do a job and it doesnt involve being mobile or using mobiles I personally dont see the need for them.
If someone has a genuine reason for requiring their phone on or near them while at work arrangements can be made to cover this.

I dont think you need to include this in their contracts but a mobile phone policy would be sensible.

http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/Injured-paper-boy-s-dad-sues-300karticle-311223-details/article.html
.........."Now his dad, Peter, is suing Joshua's employer, the Co-operative Group, and the driver of the lorry, ........"

So according to this case the paperboy was "employed" to deliver newspapers.

I think the thing to remember here is that the word charity tends to refer to a not for profit organisation and not a charity in the true sense.
If they hadnt treated her so badly she wouldnt have gone to an ET.
If they hadnt tried to shirk their responsibilities they wouldnt have been penalised.
Charity or not they are employers and as such must abide by the same employment laws as everyone else.
How can we be sure that charitable organisations are treating their service users fairly and with respect if this is how they treat their staff and this is how they percieve the law ?
Ive no doubt that Ms Oliver is a competent,confident individual.
Can the same be said for the clients of this company?
Who do they take their unresolved grievances to?

As a last resort you may find contacting his GP helpful.
Its highly likely that this employee is not being honest with either himself ot his doctor.
Monetary constraints is an unacceptable reason to get yourself signed off long term sick but is perfectly understandable.
I see you have granted him a short period of paid absence and I commend that but surely the current sick pay scheme is inadequate and this example just shows how unfair it is.
SSP is pitiful and I really feel for those who have to rely on it because company sick pay is so elusive.

I suppose it depends on what letter was withdrawn and what the managers report said.
Or did you mean confirmation that your licence has been withdrawn?
Either way as a probationer I believe he has few rights.
His probationary period was extended and has now ended.
You say he was not a driver but was a driving licence a requirement for the job?
Try CAB they are usually quite helpful but Im not 100% sure his position can be saved.

Hiya,
I would like to point out that complaints against "whistleblowers" are quite common.
If the group made a collective grievance that coud explain why the boss interviewed them all together as no one would have been identified but it doesnt follow that this is correct procedure.
For the allegations of bullying and harrassment to come in as soon as this it must be obvious what they are playing at.....deflect the blame onto someone else.
The fact remains that money has been stolen and this manager appears to have been just doing his job.
As long as he followed procedure and has written evidence of this why should he worry?
I beleieve it is normal procedure for a grievance to be dealt with before a disciplinary is carried out (I may be wrong) and its a tactic some unions use to delay the obvious.
I would definately get some advice as suggested above and keep all records in a safe place.

H there,
Kind of depends on how old your son is.
Currently if he is under 18 and you are his main carer you are entitled to apply for parental leave and can take up to 18weeks for ech child.
http://www.gov.im/lib/docs/dti/employmentRights/orders/parentalleaveregsfinal2007.doc
You will also find helpful info here...
http://www.cafamily.org.uk/families/rightsandentitlements/working/rightsinwork.html
http://www.dad.info/work/your-workplace-rights/special-circumstances-adoption-surrogacy-and-disabled-children/
http://www.worksmart.org.uk/rights/i_am_the_parent_of_a_disabled
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Moneyandworkentitlements/WorkAndFamilies/Parentalleaveandflexibleworking/DG_10029416

Hope you find these links helpful,

My understanding is that the Tribunal system is about enforcing the law as it applies to employers not about taking sides.
Employers have the burden of proof because the duties of employers are fairly clear cut.
All employees are vulnerable.
Some more than others.
Employees are also required to provide adequate evidence of mistreatement and a tribunal is never the first avenue a worker will go down.
They have to have exhausted their employers own procedures beforehand.
With regards to non payment of awards I would have thought that the Tribunals decision was binding and further evidence of an employers belief that they are beyond employment legislation.

Sympathise with wendy and the ID bracelet info but surely the bracelet would only be used if the children were lost or had no adult with them?
I dont feel anyone needs a mobile for personal use while at work.
The works phone number should always be given out to childminders ,nurseries,schools etc as a first port of call in any emergency situation and this gives the appropriate manager time and knowledge to arrange cover if necessary.
MObile workers can always be contacted by their line manager should a situatuion arise that they need to deal with personlly.
As for listening to music,texting friends,playing games etc on mobiles .....no way...you are not concentrating on your job and clearly not busy enough if you have time to do this.

Depends what you were doing when captured John LOL
If the compnay policy clearly states no mobiles then no mobiles it should be.
There may be some exeptions so check out that policy carefully.
i.e. health and safety staff recording accidents or possible dangerous situations etc
You could also have been captured "accidently" but if no one is allowed a mobile at work how can this happen?

Thats fine if you have a decent absence policy and dont negatively punish those who have been ill.
Some employers use their polcies as a weapon to constantly batter staff with and many workers are vulnerable in todays climate.