how much rest to give

My helper cut her left index finger 3 weeks ago. She went to A&E, had a few stitches and was given 7 days' sick leave. Last week she had the stitches removed. Meanwhile, since her injury, I've been having part-time help to cook, hoover, wash and clean for her. After the 7-day sick leave, she hasn't been given more leave. I'm still having the part-time help but am thinking of ditching the part-time since the cleaning is most unsatisfactory and she is costing a lot being paid on time basis. Insuance is not paying for the part-time since, according to the insurer, my helper hasn't been hospitalised for consecutive two days or more. Can I ask my helper to resume her duties now? Perhaps just take it easy and do things slowly? I'm quite tired of doing all the cleaning up after dinner and preparing my child's lunch for the next day after a hectic day in the office.

I think you can probably have her working again now, assuming the cut has healed well enough. Is she left-handed? Think, if it was you, what you be able to do with an injured hand? I think preparing lunch and other meals should be absolutely no problem. Hoovering may be a bit harder, depending on your machine. I would stop the part-time and see how things go. You can presumably accept the house not being quite so spotless for a little while longer.

I think once the stitches came out after a week, as long as the skin had knitted together with no infection, your helper could have resumed normal duties, Only if she had tendon damage (ie a very deep cut almost to the bone ) would I expect her to be out of commision for longer than a week. As a retired nursing sister I cannot believe that such a fuss is being made of a cut finger, and I am so surprised that she got a sick note for a week, unless she nearly cut the finger off. By all means ask her to wear gloves if there is any slight oozing from the wound, but tell her get on with her normal duties, and let the part-timer go. In no other industry would she be allowed 3 weeks doing nothing, after cutting a finger.