Sandy Adirondack is a freelance management consultant and trainer working exclusively in the voluntary/not-for-profit sector: she is an NCVO approved consultant 2010. Her main specialisms are legal aspects of voluntary sector governance and management, and helping boards become more effective.

Her website http://www.sandy-a.co.uk/ includes a legal update service and this can help to keep organisations up to date with changes in the law. There are also direct links to government guidance, regulations and the legislation itself on the website.

The latest update (1004, 16^th February 2010) contains information about:

• ‘Fit notes' replacing sick notes from 6 April 2010.

• Employees being able to choose to take illness during annual leave as sick leaverather thanannual leave.
• Failure to give proper notice for statutory annual leave may lead to loss of the leave.
• NICE guidance on managing long-term or persistent short-term sickness absence.
• Right to opt out from 48-hour working week remains in place.

To find out more about the above topics and also to register you for regular legal updates just go to the Sandy Adirondack website http://www.sandy-a.co.uk/