Diabetes and DDA

Hi.
First of all as a Diabetic, whether treated by meds or not you are covered by the Disabilty Discrimination Act. Your HR Dept should be aware of this. Perhaps you should gently remind them of this. As you have been prescribed 'exercise' then that is considered treatment.

Here is a link to up to date info on the DDA.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeo ... DG_4001071

Here is a specific extract:
Disabled people Employment rights and the Disability Discrimination Act Disabled workers share the same general employment rights as other workers, but there are also some special provisions for them under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). One important aspect of this is the right to reasonable adjustments in the workplace.
The Disability Discrimination Act
Under the DDA, it is unlawful for employers to discriminate against disabled people for a reason related to their disability, in all aspects of employment, unless this can be justified. The Act covers things like:

Reasonable adjustments in the workplace
Under the DDA, your employer has a duty to make 'reasonable adjustments' to make sure you're not put at a substantial disadvantage by employment arrangements or any physical feature of the workplace.

Examples of the sort of adjustments your employer should consider, in consultation with you, include:

allocating some of your work to someone else
transferring you to another post or another place of work
making adjustments to the buildings where you work
being flexible about your hours - allowing you to have different core working hours and to be away from the office for assessment, treatment or rehabilitation
providing training or retraining if you cannot do your current job any longer
providing modified equipment
making instructions and manuals more accessible
providing a reader or interpreter

Hope that helps.

As a Diabetic you ARE covered by the DDA. They need to read the Act and the guidelines in the post I made earlier. They may be interpreting it that way, doesn't mean they are right. As you are prescribed treatment then it may be they are disregarding that. That is something ACAS and an Employment Tribunal will advise you more correctly on. You will either have to accept the companies decision or take it further to test it ?

Here is a link which details the actions to take if you feel you are being discriminated against.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeo ... DG_4001073

That will settle the matter once and for all. Personally I find their argument flawed.

Johnsie
My husband is a longtime T1 and also a civil servant.
He manages to get all his appointments in on his flexitime.
Perhaps your local sports centre has an instructor trained to work with people with health issues. Ours has. then the diabetes Nurse might not be necessary and you might get more freedom of time choices.
Hana

Johnsie, you need to talk to your union.

No medication is not a no treatment option, and it isn't a less severe form of diabetes. Diet and excercise alone is a much more intensive management option than just taking pills.

Your occupational health dept do not know what they are talking about. You could also contact the equalities watchdog and get specialist advice from them. Who made this decision? Being medically qualified des not mean that they know the law.

You also have the option of telling lies - get a prescription and say you are taking them. Would that make it more real for them? Although I'd always suggest honesty being the best policy. I'm not clever enough and my memory isn't good enough to remeber lies.

I wonder if your delightful employer would be prepared to formally test their assertion regarding your coverage under the DDA? They might find it costs them rather a lot of money.