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NHS ill health retirement.

Dot2710ken

Evening everyone..

I was diagnosed with several.chronic illnesses last summer and had to be reployed from my beloved front line NHS job. I've been WFH full time since the diagnoses.. however it has been a massive struggle. I've just applied for flexi working and to drop to PT hours. I have a meeting with my boss tomorrow to discuss my requests.

I'm not sure how I feel about this, if my request to drop my hours is reduced, I think I shall be left with no alternative but to retire on the grounds of disability. I've paid Into my NHS pension since 2007 , and have pots in the 1995 and 2015 schemes

I've been having a few low/sad days recently, I've been used to going at 100mph for the last 30 years. And now I can't..

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Dot2710ken

Hi guys.

Bit of a out of sorts day today. Had my flexi working request refused at step 2. Have started the ball rolling for ill health retirement. I'm still on the redeployment list, so if any jobs come up in the meantime.

How's does UC/ LCWRA work if you have been medically retired and struggle with working?

Thanks in advance

ZToffers

Hi @Dot2710ken I was medically retired a few years ago and due to being unable to work, was given my occupational pension early - it's a teachers' pension. I wondered if NHS pensions can be given early?
Cheers x

Bydand

Dot2710ken said:

Hi guys.

Bit of a out of sorts day today. Had my flexi working request refused at step 2. Have started the ball rolling for ill health retirement. I'm still on the redeployment list, so if any jobs come up in the meantime.

How's does UC/ LCWRA work if you have been medically retired and struggle with working?

Thanks in advance

Hi, sorry to hear about the predicament you find yourself in, it’s never easy having a medical condition and trying to juggle work and home life, and taking the decision to apply for ill health retirement is a big one.

I am not with the nhs but did get IHR from the civil service so am aware of what it entails and the many pitfalls.

It seems strange to me that you have applied for IHR but state that you are on the redeployment list still like that would be normal…. Now you have applied for IHR it is not as simple as…if any jobs come up in the meantime.
By applying for IHR you are telling your employer that you feel unable to continue working.On the back of this I would expect your employer to start the OH consultation process as a matter of course if it hasn’t already. It is generally accepted that the employer will need confirmation from OH that your condition is or does affect your ability to work and that they would support IHR. It would also be likely that if OH supports IHR then your employer would not want you at work in any capacity meantime as in your eyes you are not fit to work, leaving your employer open to liability..you can’t have it both ways. IHR is for those individuals who are so ill they have no option but to apply, working for them is a non starter.

I don’t know all of your circumstances, but I do know that the pension schemes medical Officer will be looking at the whole picture with regards your application, not just whether you have a condition that fully meets all of the schemes criteria. Most people who end up applying for IHR usually have an evidenced trail of usually years where they are often of sick multiple times, off long term sick, have OH referrals, have reasonable adjustments etc….this is what paints the picture for the medical Officer.

I have read many many posts on here about IHR and it surprises me that often those who apply are not always fully conversant with their pension scheme policy and the criteria they need to fully meet…..my advice to you is if you haven’t already, get a full copy of you’re pension scheme policy, really look at what they are basing their decisions on and the specific phrasing used…..it is not enough to have an illness or condition that effects you, that condition must be permanent with no possibility of improvement.

I am sorry if this is teaching you too suck eggs but I am passionate about trying to help folks understand the IHR process and what you need to be aware of, preferably before you apply.

with regards benefits entitlement after any IHR award, it would depend on what award you get. Various tiers of award have different criteria….some allow you to work again, others state that you cannot work again etc.. bear in mind that any award of pension is likely to include a lump sum and monthly pension which could well tip you over any benefits savings threshold.

I hope you find your feet and things improve for you.

Dot2710ken

Thanks for your comments

I was put on the redeployment list when my flexi request first went in. I have been redeployed once as I was unable to do my original job.
Without any reasonable adjustments I am unable to continue in my role.

There is no cure for my conditions, and they are likely to impact any job I have. I currently work from home.

I have looked into the pensions and the process and have had discussions with the pensions team at work. I am currently unable to work and am on long term sick.

Bydand

Dot2710ken said:

Thanks for your comments

I was put on the redeployment list when my flexi request first went in. I have been redeployed once as I was unable to do my original job.
Without any reasonable adjustments I am unable to continue in my role.

There is no cure for my conditions, and they are likely to impact any job I have. I currently work from home.

I have looked into the pensions and the process and have had discussions with the pensions team at work. I am currently unable to work and am on long term sick.

Hi again, thanks for replying and clarifying some things.

A little confused though as you state you currently work from home, but go on to say that you are on long term sick…you can’t be both

Hopefully you feel confident in your IHR application and all goes well

Dot2710ken

Hi. Happy to clarify anyhing.

I can. I'm on long term sick from my WFH role. I'm unable to do my role at the moment.

Bydand

Dot2710ken said:

Hi. Happy to clarify anyhing.

I can. I'm on long term sick from my WFH role. I'm unable to do my role at the moment.

Hello again,
I do not work for NHS so maybe my understanding of your procedures etc is slightly obscured. Maybe someone else can chime in who might have more knowledge as I am still struggling to follow what you are stating ref working or not as the way you are writing things in your replies seem contradictory in my opinion…..maybe I’m just picking it up wrong though.

Good luck moving forward.

Sorry can’t be more help.

Dot2710ken

My job is working from home, and I'm currently on long term sick from that job.

If I can clarify any further, I will definitely try. Here for all the help I can get.

Currently waiting for the forms for ill health retirement.

Bydand

Dot2710ken said:

My job is working from home, and I'm currently on long term sick from that job.

If I can clarify any further, I will definitely try. Here for all the help I can get.

Currently waiting for the forms for ill health retirement.

No worries, thanks

a big thing going through the IHR process but it may be I can certainly help you with that if needed if you ever need advice. It is important to get it right first time as once it’s officially sent you can’t make amendments .

I know lots of people are anti AI technology but there is something called chat gpt which you can download. I found it very useful in helping me to fill in parts of my application.

I only mention this as folks can often know what they want to say but when it comes down to putting things on paper they can often go overboard with too much info or don’t put in enough. I know my condition inside out but when it came down to putting a lot of info into a readable paragraph I found it difficult.

what using chat gap does is allow you too ask very specific questions and get very specific answers. I found it invaluable in helping me state what I wanted to say in a clearer way.

For instance, one of my questions was….state why you believe PF causes you difficulty in doing your job.
i could answer this easily but would likely be all over the place…..when I asked chat gap in which ways would someone suffering from PF find it difficult to carry out their job as a ( put in your job or role) it came up with exactly what I wanted to say , just more coherently and I dare say professionally.

just a tip and maybe worth looking into if you find it difficult to articulate what you want to say.
just make sure any questions are directly linked to your condition and your job role.

take it easy