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osteoarthritis of thumbs

Posted , 6 users are following.

garry62482
garry62482

Hi am new here. I have osteoarthritis of both thumbs i have had one surgery on left thumb and i am of work causes of it . I work for NHS . I have been told i cant do my job anymore and i have 12 weeks left to find a job in the trust.Every rhing i have said i think i could do ny line manager says no to every thing. I also have the osteoarthritis of right shoulder and have had two surgerys on that which is still no better. Does anyone know if this is unfair .

3 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • julie53120
    julie53120 garry62482

    Posted

    Hi Gary

    you haven't said what you actually do in the NHS, but I would say it is unfair if you know you can still do the work and your work isn't suffering. I have a B & B and have changed ways of doing things to help my hands. I know that's not the same as working for someone else. I am sure other people will comment shortly. Good luck

    regards

    Julie

  • loxie
    loxie garry62482

    Posted

    I too have OA in both my thumb joints.  I really sympathise as its terribly painful and very restricting.  I do appreciate there will be things you cant do but basically these only relate to grip as I find the strength in my hands is not affected I just cant grip properly anymore.  Have you had an assessment from Occupational Health?  If you are unable to continue with your current job due to the restrictions imposed by the OA, there are still many thousands of roles within an NHS trust that are possible for you.  You haven't said if you are in a medical role or if your line manager is medically qualified to assess what you can and cannot perform.  Occ.Health can assess your abilities which will formally give you the right to undertake jobs within that range.  Have HR been of any assistance in redeploying you?  It's bad luck but unfortunately understandable that if you are physically unable to continue with your current job to be transferred but your employers should make all efforts to find you suitable alternative employment.  Are you a trade union member?  If so, you can get legal advice at little or no cost from an employment law specialist who can let you know your rights and entitlements.
  • catsmother
    catsmother garry62482

    Posted

    Oh dear Garry!!   cry

     I am so sorry to hear of your problem.....seems a bit harsh if you ask me, it isn't your faut that you now have OA and can't use your thumbs as you used to be able to......

    Your line manager should really listen to you I think, he or she could at least let you have a go at one of the jobs you think you could do!!

     Of course, this is only my personal oppinion, I don't know how the legalities go with this, all I know is that it does seem very unfair.

     I wish you luck for your future, and I do hope you will be allowed to do something soon.

     Take care,

     Chrissie.  

    • anne90395
      anne90395 catsmother

      Posted

      Hello Garry,

       Sorry to hear of your dilemma - how horrible! My understanding is, your employer has a duty of care to you. ie they need to look after you and accomodate you as best they can. You should certainly involve your union -  hope you have one! Also OH, personnel and HR. Depending on your contract these people are here to help you! I only know because I went through all this when I could no longer work full-time as a teacher. Good luck

      Take care, Anne

  • sylvia64717
    sylvia64717 garry62482

    Posted

    Hi Garry,

    Sorry that I have no advice or helpful comments to make except that I do feel that you need to get some really good advice on this, as others have suggested.

    I have a strong feeling that the younger generation are going to suffer from this when they are older due to all the overuse their thumbs get when texting on their mobiles!  Wonder how they will cope job-wise if that happens?!

    Anyway, good luck and I hope you get help with this problem very soon.

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