Knee issue - your knowledge?

[Clashman]

Back on topic, couldn't go to work today as aching was bad again this morning (just had a rota week off) and I had an x-ray last Monday during my week off. Rang surgery today and nurse said x-ray shows mild osteo-arthritis. Feeling a bit low to be honest, not sure what will happen from here. I can't be the only one with this, do any of you people have this, can you work with it and what treatment is available to help you through the walks - i.e. can I work with it in the mid to long-term?? Please cheer me up someone, am bored witless stuck at home and bit down.

I was told I had the beginnings of osteo-arthritis in the knee 4 or 5 years ago,I have good days and I have bad days but normally find it worse if I've been off work and not been working the knee as much. I also have a set of exercises I do everyday to strengthen the muscles round the knee. The key to me seems to be not too much inactivity.

[bustedflush]

Back on topic, couldn't go to work today as aching was bad again this morning (just had a rota week off) and I had an x-ray last Monday during my week off. Rang surgery today and nurse said x-ray shows mild osteo-arthritis. Feeling a bit low to be honest, not sure what will happen from here. I can't be the only one with this, do any of you people have this, can you work with it and what treatment is available to help you through the walks - i.e. can I work with it in the mid to long-term?? Please cheer me up someone, am bored witless stuck at home and bit down.

I was told I had the beginnings of osteo-arthritis in the knee 4 or 5 years ago,I have good days and I have bad days but normally find it worse if I've been off work and not been working the knee as much. I also have a set of exercises I do everyday to strengthen the muscles round the knee. The key to me seems to be not too much inactivity.

Was back at GP today, seems the battering I gave my knees in the 5-weeks before Xmas was likely to have caused internal swelling. Got a brace now, as you say have got exercises to do and is slowly getting better day by day. Am signed off now for 2 weeks, then light duties for one week which means I can test it out by going out with linos delivering left-behind lapsing etc. Apparently the DIM is getting all people off sick in for a chat Saturday, so the manager told me on the phone today. Probably assessing whether they can be offered an exit after the recent tannoy call for volunteers for VR and ER. Thing is I have only missed 6 days as after the first 4 I had a rota week then today and yesterday, these others have been on light duties/off for months in some cases unlike myself. I reckon he's trying to cut hours by scrapping the cars with dodgy engines, so-to-speak. The annual (attempted) cull has begun...

[bustedflush]

I love RM, they are so sympathetic.

I recently had knee problems, split meniscus, so I had to go in for an operation, an arthroscopy, meniscal trim and arthritic scrape. Had the procedure on Monday, Tuesday my Lino phones me and asks when do you think you'll be back to work? My response was, look at the doctors note on your desk, what does it say, 28 days, see you then and don't harass me in the meantime as I'm trying to convalesce.

These people really don't have the brains they were born with do they?

Well no. The first thing they asked today after they received the 14-day sick note in this mornings post was when I'd be back on a full round. I said I can resume light duties in 2 weeks, for a fortnight. The response was 'we haven't got the work for light duties, it has to be budgeted and it's better for us if you stay off sick'.
Obviously sick pay gets accounted for in the DO differently, presumably if you're in on light duties your hours are logged as postman even though your walk is being done by others on OT therefore the DIMs costs go up for the same amount of mail delivered.
That's what I deduce anyway.

[dvbuk55]

Well no. The first thing they asked today after they received the 14-day sick note in this mornings post was when I'd be back on a full round. I said I can resume light duties in 2 weeks, for a fortnight. The response was 'we haven't got the work for light duties, it has to be budgeted and it's better for us if you stay off sick'.
Obviously sick pay gets accounted for in the DO differently, presumably if you're in on light duties your hours are logged as postman even though your walk is being done by others on OT therefore the DIMs costs go up for the same amount of mail delivered.
That's what I deduce anyway.

I'm not sure how the budget at RM works but when I had a budget to maintain somewhere else sickness, training and holidays came out of a separate budget which didn't affect the budget I had. If overtime was needed to cover those hours to maintain productivity then it was my job to try to ensure that the time and a half hours paid was no greater than the single time that would have been paid, if that makes sense. Of course like all things year on year the budget got less and less.

[fishtank]

The response was 'we haven't got the work for light duties, it has to be budgeted and it's better for us if you stay off sick'.

Who gives a f**k if it's better for them?
Some light reading from the Work following health problems guide of the attendance procedure.



In order to allow an employee to return to work following a period of sick absence, the manager may need to consider making short term job modifications or permanent adjustments to the employee’s normal role. This may involve a change to their hours, working times or content of their role to ensure that the employee is supported and provided with the opportunity to continue their employment in Royal Mail Group.

When an employee has been away from work for a period of sick absence, their return to work will need to be planned and where necessary, adjustments considered to support them. Advice from the Occupational Health Service may be sought prior to the return to ensure that any modifications or adjustments are appropriate; the manager should also refer to the fit note for additional information.

The Occupational Health Service will advise upon how the employee’s health condition affects their ability to perform their role. The Occupational Health Service will provide advice, based on the medical evidence, outlining which parts of the role the employee may be capable of, and whether any changes are required to help them return to work. This advice should be shared with the employee.

The local union representative has a role in facilitating this proactive approach by supporting and encouraging a two-way dialogue and the employee, with the employee’s permission.
Managers may also contact the HR Advice Centre for further advice.

Meeting with the employee
The manager should meet with the employee to identify any changes to their normal role that could be made to enable them to return to work. The employee may wish to be accompanied by their union representative.

During the meeting, the manager should discuss the following:
• Ensure that the employee understands that their knowledge and skills are valued by Royal Mail Group and that the joint aim is to help them return to work
• Identify the kind of work that the employee is capable of performing
• Explain the options available, discuss the employee’s ability to perform their role and any potential changes to their role that will help them return to work
• Any other factors that should be taken into account when considering their return to work, for example, distance the employee is able to travel, shift pattern and hours of work
• Consider how the employee may be able to return to work and develop a return to work plan

Following the meeting
Following the meeting, the manager should reflect on the discussion and the options available before making a decision. This should include reviewing the workload in the office and how it could be tailored to accommodate a short term job modification. They should take the following information into consideration:
• The advice provided by the Occupational Health Service
• The employee’s knowledge, skills and experience
• The types of work the employee may be able to perform
• Any other relevant factors, for example distance the employee is able to travel, shift pattern and hours of work
• Any reasonable training that the employee may require in order to perform modified duties

Communicating the meeting outcome
The manager should agree a return to work plan with input from both the employee and Occupational Health Service and should communicate the decision to the employee. The plan will cover:
• Whether there will be a phased return to work, modified duties or a combination of both
• The timescales for the return to work plan
• Review dates throughout the return to work plan
• Any training that the employee will require
• Any support that is necessary such as buddying or mentoring etc

The precise point during recovery which is the best time to return to work activities is an individual’s judgement, and expert guidance will be given to the manager by the Occupational Health Service. As a general guide, it is reasonable and appropriate for an employee to return to work when recovery allows completion of approximately half of their work activities. Similarly the aim would be for the employee to be able to perform their full role usually within four weeks but may continue beyond this period where appropriate.

A phased return to work is when an employee gradually increases the amount of hours worked each week. It allows the employee to readjust to full attendance in the workplace. For example, they may work shorter working days, flex their attendance times or work a shorter working week. Over a period of time, the time spent working will increase until the employee is working their normal contracted hours.

A phased return to work can take up to four weeks for an employee to progress to the full hours of their normal role. If the return to work is going to take a longer period, then this should be considered as a short term job modification.

The manager should hold a welcome back meeting on the employee’s first day back to work. For more information on welcome back meetings please refer to the Welcome Back Meetings Guide.

Short term job modifications are where the content of the employee’s normal role is changed to allow them to return to work. It is used where the employee cannot undertake full work activities due to the constraints of their health condition.
Short term job modifications are temporary; to allow an employee to recover from their condition or while an employee is receiving or waiting for treatment.
When arranging short term job modifications, managers should consider:
• Whether the short term job modification will be helpful in getting the employee to return to work
• What impact the short term job modification may have on the rest of the team
• The cost of arranging the short term job modification
The Occupational Health Service will advise managers on any necessary temporary modifications and the suitability of an employee’s return to work.

Where short term job modifications have been agreed with the employee, details of their short term job modifications and the timescales agreed for their return to their normal role should be recorded through Managing My Team on PSP. The manager should include agreed review dates throughout the period of temporary modifications.

A short term job modification may take place at a separate location. The employee will return to work and receive full pay; therefore overtime cannot be claimed until the employee is working in excess of their full contractual hours.

A short term job modification will normally last for between one and four weeks but may continue beyond this period were appropriate, for example while an employee is waiting for treatment, this will be agreed between the manager and employee.


It's their rules...make sure they follow them.

[bustedflush]

Thanks, I'm going to print that off. Appreciated.