POLICY AND PROCEDURE: Sick Leave - Panel Members Versin 6 Page 1 f 5 SICK LEAVE - PANEL MEMBERS PURPOSE The purpse f this plicy is t ensure that sick leave is prcessed accrding t the standards and guidelines specified in this plicy. SCOPE This plicy applies t: MHR Clients MHR Crdinatrs MHR Management MHR Panel members MHR Payrll Clerks MHR Payrll Officers MHR Recruitment Cnsultants MHR Senir Crdinatrs DEFINITIONS Terms HPCSA MHRM ML007 Reprt ML305 Reprt Definitin/Descriptin fr the purpse f this plicy MHR Payrll system Health Prfessins Cuncil f Suth Africa. The Cuncil guides and regulates the health prfessins in Suth Africa in aspects pertaining t registratin, educatin and training, prfessinal cnduct and ethical behaviur, fstering cmpliance with healthcare standards. All individuals wh practise any f the health care prfessins incrprated in the scpe f the HPCSA are bliged by the Health Prfessins Act N. 56 f 1974 t register with the Cuncil. Failure t d s cnstitutes a criminal ffence. MHR Management system Reprt - MHRM audit n PM bked 7 days back Reprt - MHRM emplyee histry with pay rate POLICY STATEMENT 1) It is the panel member s respnsibility t apply fr sick leave benefits at the applicable MHR ffice.
POLICY AND PROCEDURE: Sick Leave - Panel Members Versin 6 Page 2 f 5 2) Sick leave is granted nly in cases f illness, indispsitin and injury that are nt the result f the panel member s wn ding, miscnduct r negligence. 3) Sick leave is granted 1 (ne) hur fr every 26 (twenty-six) hurs wrked ver a 3 (three) year cycle. The cycle starts n the panel member s date f engagement and cannt be carried frward. 4) Panel members may be scheduled fr shifts in advance, but sick leave is granted nly if the MHR representative r the client CONFIRMED the panel member fr the specific shift prir t the cmmencement f the shift. Weekdays/nights: Panel member must be cnfirmed nt earlier than 24 hurs prir t cmmencement f the shift. Weekend cnfirmatin: Panel member must be cnfirmed nt earlier than 36 hurs prir t cmmencement f the shift (n a Friday). 5) The panel member is required t submit his/her riginal medical certificate t the lcal MHR ffice nt later than ne mnth after the sick leave perid. Cpies f medical certificates are nt accepted and a sick leave applicatin will nt be prcessed with a cpy f a medical certificate. 6) The fllwing sectin applies t medical certificates: MHR nly accepts riginal medical certificates issued by the fllwing practitiners: Medical Practitiner (GP r Specialist) registered with HPCSA Dental Practitiner/Dental Specialist registered with HPCSA Hmepath Chirpractr MHR als accepts riginal medical certificates frm registered clinics issued by a Registered nurse with his/her SANC number clearly stipulated n the medical certificate. A medical certificate must clearly state the fllwing: Date certificate was issued including date f examinatin Name and surname f the patient Dctr s name and surname/registered nurse s name and surname (Clinics) Practice number/sanc number f Registered nurse (Clinics) Address and cntact number f the practice/clinic Dctr s signature/registered nurse s signature (Clinics) Dctr s qualificatin and/r hspital/clinic reference Generic diagnsis and descriptin f illness (This is nt bligatry) Length f recmmended sick leave The panel member is respnsible t check the certificate when issued t ensure all the required infrmatin is specified n the certificate, befre submitting it t MHR. Panel members are reminded t be aware f the fllwing insfar as medical certificates are cncerned: Where an adjustment is made t a medical certificate (which is nt signed by the applicable medical practitiner); OR Where MHR has any reasn t believe there has been inapprpriate use f the certificate; OR Where there is evidence t suggest that the certificate is nt authentic; the fllwing may apply: i. Payment f sick leave may be withheld pending an investigatin. Such investigatin shall, wherever pssible, be cmpleted within 5 (five) wrking days.
POLICY AND PROCEDURE: Sick Leave - Panel Members Versin 6 Page 3 f 5 ii. The utcme f the investigatin may result in disciplinary actin being taken against the panel member and/r the perid f absence nt being paid. 7) When a panel member submits a medical certificate in accrdance with the standards specified in sectin 6 abve, the applicable shifts are paid accrding t the number f sick leave hurs available. 8) All shifts scheduled in advance are cancelled. 9) N payment is granted if sick leave is exhausted. 10) MHR Branch Manager/Assistant Branch Manager is required t check whether a panel member regularly exceeds his/her sick leave benefit by referring t the Panel member wrk histry (ML305) reprt n. It is an acceptable standard that panel members shuld nt exceed 5 (five) incidents per annum (1 calendar year) fr sick leave cnsumptin. If this standard is exceeded, it is the Branch Manager s respnsibility t initiate crrective cunselling with the panel member accrding t MHR Cde f Cnduct. This standard refers t the number f frequencies in absence and nt t serius and/r lng term illness ccurrences. Where it is nt pssible t crrect the prblem, MHR will prceed with apprpriate incapacity/disciplinary actins. 11) Any panel member suspected f abusing his/her sick leave allcatin r manipulating r cntriving sick leave, will be investigated and where apprpriate subjected t strng disciplinary actin. Abuse f MHR s sick leave plicy culd cnstitute fraudulent miscnduct. 12) Injuries whilst n duty are prcessed as WCA leave Please refer t the Injury n Duty Plicy. 13) A panel member wh falls ill n duty will be granted sick leave, if his/her sick leave applicatin adheres t the criteria stipulated abve. PROCEDURE The prcedure belw prvides further guidelines regarding the sick leave applicatin and payment prcedure. Steps Actins 1 The panel member applies fr the sick leave benefit at the lcal MHR ffice, by submitting his/her riginal sick certificate as per the criteria stipulated in sectin 6 abve. Sick leave will nt be prcessed until the riginal medical certificate is received by the MHR ffice. 2 Upn receipt f the abve the authrised MHR representative (nminated by the MHR Branch Manager) cntinues with the fllwing: Checks whether the medical certificate cmplies with the standards specified in Sectin 6 abve. It is als advisable t check whether the health care prfessinal wh issued the medical certificate is registered with the applicable Prfessinal Cuncil. Enters the panel member s ID/passprt number n MHRM t btain the panel member s MHR number. NB: Als checks whether the panel member has mre than ne prfile n MHRM due t a tax change during the current 3 (three) year sick leave cycle. Runs, saves and checks the ML305 reprt(s) n t cnfirm whether the panel member has nt been paid fr the date(s) sick leave is claimed. Runs, saves and checks the ML007 reprt n t cnfirm whether the panel member was scheduled t wrk n the date(s) leave is claimed fr. If the sick leave request is submitted via a MHR crdinatr, the MHR crdinatr is required t include a screensht f the MHRM bking, as
POLICY AND PROCEDURE: Sick Leave - Panel Members Versin 6 Page 4 f 5 well as the cancellatin as this serves as prf that the panel member was scheduled t wrk n the specific date(s). If the panel member was scheduled by the client, a senir representative at the client must cnfirm in writing that the panel member was scheduled fr the specific shift(s). Shift cnfirmatins received frm junir persnnel at the client will nt be accepted. The shift must als adhere t the cnfirmatin guidelines stipulated in Sectin 4 abve. Checks the panel member tariff fr the specific jb descriptin at the specific client n MHRM. Watch ut fr weekend and public hliday tariffs (When applicable). Cmpletes a MHR attendance register fr the date(s) the panel member is claiming, deducting lunch accrding t the jb descriptin and shift arrangements with the client. Signs the attendance register next t the sick leave entries cnfirming that the sick leave applicatin adheres t the criteria stipulated in this plicy. Emails the ML305/ML007 reprts, submits the cmpleted register and medical certificate t the Branch Manager/Assistant Branch Manager fr final apprval. 3 The Branch Manager/Assistant Branch Manager cntinues with the fllwing: Checks whether the medical certificate submitted cmplies with the standards stipulated in sectin 6 f the plicy statement. Checks the ML007 reprt received via email t recnfirm the dates the panel member was scheduled t wrk. Checks the ML305 reprt(s) received via email t identity whether the panel member regularly claims sick leave and addresses sick leave incidents accrding t sectin 10 abve. Checks MHRM t recnfirm the tariff. Checks whether all the details stipulated n the MHR attendance register were recrded accurately. If the abve are in rder, signs the attendance register as final apprval f payment. 4 The branch frwards the apprved attendance register and supprting dcuments t the MHR Payrll Officer and als infrms the Payrll Officer if the panel member has mre than ne prfile n MHRM during the current sick leave cycle. 5 The branch files the riginal medical certificate and supprting dcuments in the panel member s file. 6 The MHR Payrll Officer calculates the sick leave payable, referring t the applicable panel member prfile(s) generated during the current 3 (three) year sick leave cycle. The Payrll Officer cnfirms the number f hurs t be paid with the MHR branch. NB: The branch t infrm the panel member if less hurs are paid than claimed. The sick leave is prcessed. The Payrll Clerk checks and signs ff the sick leave payable as reflected n the pre-payrun. Payrun is prcessed and the panel member is paid n the weekly payrun. All dcumentatin pertaining t the sick leave payut is filed as per nrmal payrun prcedures.
POLICY AND PROCEDURE: Sick Leave - Panel Members Versin 6 Page 5 f 5 ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTS ACTS Basic Cnditins f Emplyment Act Act n 75 f 1997 Basic Cnditins f Emplyment Amendment Act Act n 11 f 2002 Health Prfessins Act (Frmer title: Medical, Dental and Supplementary Health Service Prfessins Act) MHR DOCUMENTS MHR Attendance register MHR Event Investigatin ML305 MHRM emplyee histry with pay rate ML007 MHRM audit n PM bked 7 days back reprt POLICIES Guidelines - Management f Absenteeism MHR Attendance register plicy Act n 56 f 1974 MHR Secured dcs MHR Secured dcs Lcatin/Number Intranet (HR Dept.) MHR Secured dcs