Sickness and Absence
It is the responsibility of the individual student to:
- Be aware of the Sickness & Absence Protocol
- Comply with sickness/absence reporting procedures
- Be aware of their attendance record e.g. keep their own record of attendance in a diary and discuss with their Personal Tutor;
- Take responsibility for their own health and take reasonable steps to ensure fitness for placement/University.
Students should be aware that failure to comply with the sickness/absence Protocol will result in the absence being recorded as Unauthorised. Students who fail to comply with the sickness/absence protocol must attend a Progress Review Meeting. The seconding Trust will be informed of the breach in protocol for all seconded students.
Accessing Sickness and Absence Records
Students requiring details of their sickness/absence records can access these by accessing InPlace via their Student Hub.
Absence reports can be generated by accessing the shared documents tab and then scrolling to the bottom of the list where you will find 'Generate PRACTICE absences' and 'Generate THEORY absences'. *Please note only Midwifery and Nursing students have theory absences monitored on InPlace.
It is recommended that students also keep a note of their own sickness/absence to track how much time they have had off and to inform the discussion. Any anomalies can then be identified and discussed with the Personal Tutor and remedial action agreed upon. Students have up to one month following the last day of a period of sickness/absence to query their record. Amendment requests will not be made after this point.
The University will only amend a student’s record upon information provided from a confirmed source:
- Signed registers verify attendance at university. To amend a theory absence due to an unsigned register, the lecturer for the queried session must email plustudents@cumbria.ac.uk to confirm the student’s attendance.
- Timesheets signed by practice educators/ supervisors or mentors verify attendance on placement. Therefore please make sure your timesheets are kept up to date and are accurate as possible whilst on placement and are submitted promptly.
Students are not able to work off-duty days or annual leave entitlement to make up for absences.
When a student intercalates, any sickness/absences incurred during the period of the course before intercalation will remain on file. These records will be added to any sickness/absences incurred after intercalation, to give an overall total at the end of the course.
Course and Professional Body Requirements
Students need to complete sufficient hours to meet the course and professional bodies’ requirements e.g. Nursing & Midwifery Council and the Health and Care Professions Council. Attendance records are also used by Personal Tutors to inform the writing of references at the end of the course. The following process needs to be followed and completed for every period of absence;
Step 1 – Inform the placement supervisor.
Telephone the person who is supervising you on placement as soon as you can before your shift/working hours start. Advise them of the nature of your illness and when you expect to return to placement. Agree with the supervisor if you need to contact them whilst you are ill to keep them informed of your progress.
Please also email your Personal Tutor to inform them of your absence
Step 2 – Record absence on PARE/placement time sheet.
Record your period of illness on the PARE (Practice Assessment Record & Evaluation) system.
Step 3 – Undertake a return to placement discussion with your supervisor.
Have a discussion with your supervisor to ensure that they assess you as fit to return to placement and that you are fully recovered. Discuss anything you have missed and how you will catch up.
In the event that you are unable to return and complete your placement due to illness; Telephone the placement unit, your personal tutor and placement supervisor to let them know.