Human Resources Division

Absence through sickness (Rules C1 to C9)

A day of sickness is defined as a day on which you are incapable of your normal work because of a specific illness, disease, or disability. This term covers injury at work, and precautionary reasons as advised by a doctor e.g. convalescence, contact with infectious diseases. It does not, however, cover time off work because you have to care for a member of your family.

If you are absent from work on account of sickness you will normally receive a payment in lieu of salary, which is equal to your normal salary, for a period which depends on your length of service (see below).

You must let your Head of Institution know as soon as practicable, but preferably on the first day, the reason for your absence. On or before your return to work you must submit a Sickness Self Certificate (form CHRIS/62) to cover any sickness that has lasted for up to seven calendar days in a row. If the sickness lasts longer than seven days you must submit a doctor's statement, or statements, to cover all further absence. If you do not do this, your Head of Institution may ask for your pay to be withheld.

The payment you receive from the University is deemed to include all Statutory Sick Pay to which you are entitled. For the purpose of the Statutory Sick Pay Scheme it has been agreed between the University and the assistants' representatives that for all assistants, except those on unpaid leave, the qualifying days will be Monday to Friday. This much simplifies the administration of the scheme and reflects the general pattern of work of assistants which is five days a week.

Procedure on falling sick

If you are absent through sickness you must let your Head of Institution or the person designated by the Head of Institution for this purpose know the reason for your absence and its likely duration as soon as practicable but preferably on the first day of your absence. You, or someone on your behalf, can do this by telephone or by sending a message by hand or by post.

If you are fit to return to work within seven calendar days of the sickness beginning, you must complete a Sickness Self Certificate in the presence of your supervisor as soon as you return to work. Your supervisor will pass it on to the Head of Institution or to the designated deputy.

If you are not fit to return to work on the eighth calendar day after the beginning of your sickness you, or someone else on your behalf, must complete a Personal Sickness Certificate, and forward it to the Head of Institution by post or other means as soon as practicable. The Personal Certificate should cover all days of sickness up to, and including, day seven, unless, because of the severity of the sickness, you have already been given a doctor's statement. In that case your Certificate need only cover those days not covered by the doctor's statement. You should send a doctor's statement which covers absence beyond the seventh day with the Personal Certificate, or very soon afterwards.

Further doctor's statements should be submitted as necessary to cover all further absences until either you return to work or your employment with the University ceases.

If you are not entitled to Statutory Sick Pay

If you are not entitled to Statutory Sick Pay the University will pay you an amount which will be the difference between the amount that you are entitled to claim as Social Security benefit and your normal pay. You must claim all Social Security benefit due to you (including any dependant's benefit) and let your Head of Institution know how much you receive.

If therefore you are informed at any time by the Payroll Section that you are, or are about to be, excluded from Statutory Sick Pay you should complete the form you receive, form SSP1, and forward it to your local Social Security office with a view to claiming incapacity benefit. The address of the office in Cambridge is: Benefits Agency, Henry Giles House, 73 Chesterton Road, Cambridge CB4 3BQ.

If you wish your Head of Institution to send a doctor's statement to the Social Security office or return it to you so that you can send it to the Social Security Office yourself, please make this clear when you send in the statement to the institution.

You must keep and be prepared to show to your Head of Institution or to the Payroll Section, Finance Division, any advice you get from the Social Security office whether it concerns the amount you are being paid as benefit or whether it gives the reasons why you are not eligible for benefit.

If you do not receive benefit because you fail to claim, or a claim is disallowed because it was submitted too late, or you are a married woman (or widow) who has chosen to pay reduced liability National Insurance contributions an amount equivalent to the benefit you would have received will nevertheless be deducted from your normal pay in calculating the payments made to you.

Assistance and advice

It is recognised that if you are ill, it may be difficult for you to ensure that the right procedure is followed. If you are in difficulty over this, you or someone on your behalf should try to contact your institution or the Human Resources Division for help and/or advice.

It is in your interest when you are sick to keep your institution fully informed of the progress you are making towards recovery. Your institution then knows that you intend to return to work. If at any stage you decide you will not be returning to work, please inform your Head of Institution at once.

Payments for periods of absence due to sickness

The maximum periods of absence due to sickness for which payments may be made are as follows:

If you are absent through sickness at the date at which your entitlement to payment would increase, you will not gain the new entitlement until you have returned to work and have worked for a continuous period of one month.

The rate and period for which payment may be made is calculated according to the sick leave which you have taken during the 365 days before the first day of sickness. This means that any sick leave taken during that time will count as part of your sick leave entitlement for the current period of sickness.

Miscellaneous

If you are involved in any accident (e.g. car accident) as a result of which you can properly claim from a third party damages for loss of earnings, you should inform your Head of Institution. The amount of your earnings for the period you are sick as a result of the accident can be obtained from the Human Resources Division by you or your solicitor. If you are awarded compensation for loss of earnings you must return the equivalent amount to the University to offset the payments it has made to you while you were absent sick.

If you are frequently absent through sickness or have a single prolonged absence, you may be referred to the University's Consultant Occupational Health Physician for a medical opinion. You may also be asked to authorise the Director of Human Resources to approach your own doctor for further information about your health. Your Head of Institution may also ask you to produce a doctor's statement for all absences however short if there is concern about your level of sickness absence.

If your Head of Institution feels that your state of health may affect the efficient working of the institution you may be referred to the University's Consultant Occupational Health Physician for a medical report.

If you are ill when you would otherwise be absent on annual leave, except during a period when the institution is closed and when you would not be required to work the Head of your Institution will normally allow that period to count as sick leave and grant another period of annual leave at a later date. For alternatives to this arrangement see Rule C8.