Nurse heroes face docked pay and sack if they go on holiday overseas

EXHAUSTED NHS nurses who helped to fight the coronavirus pandemic have been warned they could face disciplinary action if they take a foreign holiday and have to self-isolate on their return.

Medical staff who spent lockdown saving lives have been told to think twice about going abroad – or face 14 days without pay, as well as possible dismissal, when they return.

The warning emerged in a leaked memo – seen by The Scottish Mail on Sunday – to nurses at one of the country’s largest health boards, NHS Lanarkshire.

It comes as Nicola Sturgeon last week reminded Scots wanting to jet off that quarantine rules for each foreign country are reviewed on a daily basis and could be changed at ‘very short notice’.

Last night, as the Scottish Government admitted health boards were only following its advice to staff, angry union bosses demanded an intervention from Health Secretary Jeanne Freeman.

The memo sent out last week to NHS Lanarkshire nurses, entitled ‘holidays abroad’, begins by acknowledging their hard work.

Senior nurse Ailsa Connelly tells them: ‘I hope you are all planning on taking some well-deserved summer holidays. I know it is not what we all had planned for this year, but after the last few months, you all certainly have earned some time away from work.’

But she adds: ‘The advice we have been given is that, if you choose to travel to any country requiring quarantine, then you will need to request an additional 14 days annual leave onto your allocated leave. It is unlikely that, during the summer months, I’d be able to support that or agree to unpaid leave.

‘This would, therefore, mean you were on unauthorised leave. You would lose pay for that period and would be escalated on your return through a disciplinary process.’

It is not clear if other boards have issued similar missives to their nursing staff but a union source said: ‘If they have, NHS Lanarkshire are the only ones stupid enough to put it in writing.’

Now the Independent Federation of Nursing in Scotland has written to Ms Freeman accusing the board of ‘bullying and intimidation’.

Associate general secretary Alex Fleming said: ‘For management in NHS Lanarkshire to threaten a group of staff who, at short notice, changed their working hours, their working practices, their shift patterns, worked extra shifts, sacrificing much more than any of us could imagine in order to help others, is quite appalling.

‘The community clearly values the sacrifices made by staff, as do the Scottish people, as clearly demonstrated on a regular basis throughout this crisis.’

He told Ms Freeman: ‘NHS Lanarkshire treats them with utter contempt. We would urge you to take cognisance and to intervene as a matter of urgency.’

One nurse said members of staff could find themselves without pay and potentially losing their job through no fault of their own if quarantine rules for a destination tightened while they were away.

They added: ‘After everything nurses have done to save lives during lockdown, it’s a slap in the face to threaten us like this.’

Scottish Tory health spokesman Miles Briggs said: ‘This is a disrespectful and crass way to treat a workforce who have sacrificed so much. The threat of disciplinary action and suspended wages will be legally questionable, too.’

Susan Friel, nurse director, acute services, at NHS Lanarkshire, said: ‘The memo was in response to staff seeking guidance from local management on the national position around foreign travel at that time.’

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Where a staff member has booked foreign travel before the quarantine regulations came into force, managers are asked to make every effort to allow them to work from home during their selfisolation period or, if that is not possible, approve special leave.

‘Where an NHS staff member has booked travel after the quarantine requirements have come into force and if they are travelling to a country which requires 14-day period of self-isolation on return, they are expected to take into account the impact of the self-isolation period.

‘Staff should plan for covering this period using additional annual leave or time off in lieu.’

‘It’s a slap in the face to threaten us like this’