medical leave during DAFNE course

Hello There

I have attended DAFNE course in May 2011. I had informed by company that I am attending a DAFNE course, which is for 5 days and requested them to consider this as a medical leave as my thinking was that NHS count this course is necessary for each diabetics in UK. So NHS approves this as a medical leave from work to attend the course and dont consider as a paid holiday! Am I wrong here? Do I've to use my paid holidays to attend this course? My company says they dont this policy of medical leave, so they declined to count those five days as paid leave from work. Please advice me here.

With Regards,

Vinod Kavle

Fortunately I was unemployed at the time of my course, but other in my class did have problems I believe, some got time off paid, others did not, its just your luck I think................but I dont think companies are obliged to do you any favours......

best to read up your contract.............

I was quite lucky because my course was done right near the end of the year for the holiday turn over so, after the HR department investigated into the benefits that DAFNE would provide for them if I did it, they were happy for me to have some special leave so I could attend. However, I was also asked to use my remaining holiday (2 days if I remember correctly) to keep the special leave to a minimum.

I'm sure if you speak to your DAFNE team, they can send a letter or have a chat with your employer to clarify the benefits to the business if you do the course (because if you are more likely to be well as a result as a result, making you more likely to be a reliable employee (not that you're not already I'm sure!)).

Good luck with getting the time off you need!

I had to take paid leave from work, I dont get any sort of special leave what so ever

Thanks guys. I really appreciate your inputs. I'll check with my company and see what they say!
Have a lovely weekend:-)


With Regards,

Vinod Kavle

You're welcome! Best of luck with it and you have a smashing weekend too! May we all have glorious sunshine! ^0^

I swear under the Disability Discrimination Act, their is a clause where If a diabetic who is on Insulin medication must attend a course about insulin management, the company must pay for it, I remember reading this before I went on my DAFNE course, I would suggest ringing maybe Diabetes UK and see if they can help you, I dont think this will come out of your holiday, and you should get paid for it, (maybe at a lower rate) but you should BY LAW get paid for it,
Check out the Disability discrimination Act, for Diabetes, Im preety sure im right tho..

[Edit]: Im 50% sure im right...

I agree with Anil..............

that advice seems pretty sound to me..........good luck...........

vinod said:
Hello There

I have attended DAFNE course in May 2011. I had informed by company that I am attending a DAFNE course, which is for 5 days and requested them to consider this as a medical leave as my thinking was that NHS count this course is necessary for each diabetics in UK. So NHS approves this as a medical leave from work to attend the course and dont consider as a paid holiday! Am I wrong here? Do I've to use my paid holidays to attend this course? My company says they dont this policy of medical leave, so they declined to count those five days as paid leave from work. Please advice me here.

With Regards,

Vinod Kavle

When I first spoke to my boss about doing the dafne course he said he would pay me for the time off and i wouldnt have to use up any holiday so i thought that was great. I did my course and when i got back to work i noticed that they had taken it off of my yearly holiday. I havnt had a chance to ask the boss about it yet. I think it is unfair to promiose one thing and do another though. I dont know where i would stand if i try to get my holiday time back though.