I’m writing this from my bed, because I’m once again sick. Only this time it’s physical. I came back from a lovely holiday in Amsterdam, with a cough and a sore throat. A bit annoying, but no problem - I usually get over colds in a couple of days, plus I’m used to going about my daily life not feeling well. I had one day at home before going onto my night shifts. I found myself getting rapidly worse and the lack of sleep certainly wasn’t helping. By the second night I was feverish and coughing badly. I knew I shouldn’t have gone in, but I’ve had so much time off for mental health problems that I was scared to go through another sickness review, let alone not get paid. After my nights I found myself bed bound. Fever, dry cough, aches and pains and a tight chest. On Monday evening I had a coughing fit so bad I almost passed out. Still I was determined to go to work.
So here I am, suffering and extremely upset that I had to call in sick yesterday. I’ve not had a single day off since my last breakdown in September. Now I’m here tearing myself apart because I can’t physically work and I’m terrified of losing my job.
The NHS uses a system called the Bradford Score to monitor sickness. It works by combining your episodes of sickness with the number of days you take in each episode. So in theory having 3 separate episodes lasting 1 day each should give you a higher score (the lower the better) than having 1 episode lasting 3 days. This sounds like it should actually be better for people with disabilities and long term mental health problems; that’s what the NHS claims also.
But think about this:
- You have an emotional breakdown a year into your new job. You get hospitalised and have to take long term sick.
- You’re not getting paid after 4 weeks, but everyone encouraged you to do what’s best for yourself.
- When you return measures aren’t really put into place (flexi-working), because of poor management at the time. Without reasonable adjustments you cope about 3 months before you relapse again.
- This time changes are made and for a while you’re doing fine again, enjoying work. Time goes by and your Bradford Score is about to improve.
- Then you come down with some sort of flu.
You see, having that one or two days off for a physical illness, will then massively put up your Bradford Score and you could potentially be looking at a stage 3 sickness review and a possible dismissal.
Despite giving everything to your job.
Despite being told you’re good at what you do.
Despite loving the difference you make.
So you tell me how this system is fair for people like me? I’ve tried so hard to stay in work. I’m lucky that I have gained the skills to manage my BPD for the most part, but many others don’t have that. I feel like I am almost constantly punished for fighting to get my life back and keep it. I can’t understand why our society makes this so difficult.
So enough complaining! What’s the solution?
I’m no HR manager, but what if there were two separate systems? One for sickness related to your disability and another for sickness unrelated to your disability. Is it really hard to imagine such a system. Having separate records would ensure people with disabilities weren’t penalised for a short unrelated illness, in the same year as a flare up. It seems to me more logical than the current one and a lot fairer. People with disabilities have so much to bring to the workplace and this is no different in the NHS. So why should we be discriminated against for looking after our health?
Honestly I believe more needs to be done so people with disabilities aren’t punished for trying to work. I’m doubtful (at this time) that organisations that use the Bradford Score will be willing to change their systems. However, the more people that know and understand how this practice discriminates, the more chance we have of people taking a stand.
