Night duty

sjm1308

Well-Known Member
Messages
152
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I work in a nursing home and its heavy, grueling work. I work 4 12 hour shifts per week. Occasionally if I'm on annual leave I'll take on a night duty for some extra money or to help out if they are short staffed. I do struggle but I only take them on if I've a few days to recover or if they are really stuck to get someone else.

My problem is, due to long term staff sickness and maternity leave I have now been rotated onto nights. This means a week of 4 12 hour night duties then 3 weeks of days then back into nights...sometimes just with 1 day to recover. I'm really struggling. My bg fluctuates from 22 to 2 on night shift. I cant find the right way to manage it and to be honest I don't need the stress right now.

My manager doesn't understand type 1 diabetes. I have asked her not to put me on them again as they make me sick but I've been told I'm not a team player and threated with disciplinary. What is really annoying is not all members are being rotated as a few have said they dont like nights.

I rang my GP this am and she wasnt exactly helpful. She has written a letter to say could I be excused from nights as they make me feel unwell. It makes me sound like I'm making something out of nothing but honestly after a week of nights I'm exhausted.

Any advice on where to go from here? Should I ask to be referred to occupational health? I'm on Levimer split doses and Fiasp. I'm due to get the pump in Sept to help with dawn phenomenon. I understand nights might be easier with the pump?
 

ert

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,588
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
diabetes
fasting
Night rotas sound difficult. I'm sorry you're having a hard time. Being told you're not a team player and threatened with disciplinary because of a disability, is discrimination at work.
Have a look here: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/life-with-diabetes/employment
'As someone living with diabetes in England, Scotland or Wales, your rights at work are set out in the Equality Act 2010.'
'Both these acts state the steps employers must follow in their treatment of employees and job seekers who have a disability. While you might not think of your diabetes as a disability, you should be protected by these acts.'
'The Equality Act 2010 describes a disability as a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial long-term negative effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. If you take medication, the decision is based on how your impairment would affect you if you didn’t take the medication. So, to ask whether diabetes fits the description of disability, you must consider the effect of diabetes if it wasn’t being treated.'
I hope you can find an HR manager that you can work through these issues with.
 
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mojo37

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,398
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I work in a nursing home and its heavy, grueling work. I work 4 12 hour shifts per week. Occasionally if I'm on annual leave I'll take on a night duty for some extra money or to help out if they are short staffed. I do struggle but I only take them on if I've a few days to recover or if they are really stuck to get someone else.

My problem is, due to long term staff sickness and maternity leave I have now been rotated onto nights. This means a week of 4 12 hour night duties then 3 weeks of days then back into nights...sometimes just with 1 day to recover. I'm really struggling. My bg fluctuates from 22 to 2 on night shift. I cant find the right way to manage it and to be honest I don't need the stress right now.

My manager doesn't understand type 1 diabetes. I have asked her not to put me on them again as they make me sick but I've been told I'm not a team player and threated with disciplinary. What is really annoying is not all members are being rotated as a few have said they dont like nights.

I rang my GP this am and she wasnt exactly helpful. She has written a letter to say could I be excused from nights as they make me feel unwell. It makes me sound like I'm making something out of nothing but honestly after a week of nights I'm exhausted.

Any advice on where to go from here? Should I ask to be referred to occupational health? I'm on Levimer split doses and Fiasp. I'm due to get the pump in Sept to help with dawn phenomenon. I understand nights might be easier with the pump?

Night shifts will make u ill I'm type 2 and no longer do night shifts . It's nothing to do with being a "team player " get yourself referred to Occ Health also mention that your manager is making threats It should be her that is disciplined !
 
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sjm1308

Well-Known Member
Messages
152
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Thank you all....have been referred to occ health so will wait on that appointment now. But I'm also scanning the paper for new jobs. Might be time to move lol. Thanks again! Will definitely ring the helpline this evening xx
 

johnpol

Well-Known Member
Messages
919
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hi sory to hear of your problems with work and not supporting you in recovering from nights. I worked nights for a few years (16 weeks continuously then onto days) I found that if I ate as normal on a night and took my insulin as I normally did it didn't throw me off kilter too much, mine was a very physically demanding job so high reading were never an issue. Going from nights to days that was an issue, the tiredness I have never felt it before or after. I hope that you can get sorted with Occupational health to get you onto permanent days.
 
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