Elective surgery - sick pay?

Conshine

Registered User
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I am a PAYE worker and have sick and holiday entitlements.
I want to have a small surgical operation by choice and it means I need probably a week to recover and I will get a doctors cert to sign me off work.
But as it is elective, and I am doing it by choice, can I claim as sick? Usually sick days are unplanned. In this case, I will nominate a date for the operation, will I be forced to use holidays for this?
 
In my opinion you should have no problem claiming your sick pay entitlement, "elective" shouldn't make a difference to your entitlement
 
The only 'entitlement' to sick pay is that provided by the Dept. of Social Protection through the Illness Benefit scheme. Usually, payment under this scheme only starts after 6 days of absence, and is dependent on having made sufficient contributions.

There is no legal obligation on an employer to pay an employee while on sick leave, so any such cover they provide is at their discretion. You will need to discuss with them whether they will provide paid cover for this time off or expect you to take annual leave. Where I work would have quite a generous approach, but elective procedures must be covered by annual leave.
 
I am a PAYE worker and have sick and holiday entitlements.
I want to have a small surgical operation by choice and it means I need probably a week to recover and I will get a doctors cert to sign me off work.
But as it is elective, and I am doing it by choice, can I claim as sick? Usually sick days are unplanned. In this case, I will nominate a date for the operation, will I be forced to use holidays for this?


There appears to be two parts to this issue. The first is that the surgery is by choice and the second is your actual fitness for work as a result of the procedure.

As Purple said, what does your contract say in regards to sick leave?
 
How big is the company ? If it's a multi-national I would not mention the elective part and just tell them you have to have an operation and you will require a certain amount of days off and will have a cert. If it's a private company then you need to discuss the situation with your employer and maybe meet half-way.
 
I don't know the answer to your question. If someone needs a hip replacement for severe arthritis, they could be on a waiting list for ages, but will eventually be given a surgery date. That would be elective surgery, and I would expect that person to get sick leave without difficulty.
However if they were having cosmetic surgery such as a facelift, or laser surgery to correct shortsightedness - maybe they would be treated differently as those surgeries are a lifestyle choice rather than a medical necessity.
 
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