Parental leave

Pregnancy

Every pregnancy is different and everyone will need different levels of support. However, most people benefit from additional support at some stage during their pregnancy. If you feel comfortable doing so, it can be helpful to let colleagues know early, as this may make it easier to access any support or adjustments you need.

You should notify your employer or Trust as soon as you feel able to. They will carry out a risk assessment and discuss any workplace adjustments that may be required. They should also provide you with a copy of the Trust's maternity policy. The Medical Staffing or HR department must be informed no later than 25 weeks of pregnancy.

Pregnant employees are entitled to paid time off for antenatal care. Partners are entitled to unpaid leave to attend up to two antenatal appointments, with a maximum of six and a half hours per appointment. If you are being assessed for adoption, you are entitled to reasonable paid time off for essential appointments.

As your pregnancy progresses, shift work and on-call commitments may become more challenging. This should be discussed as part of your risk assessment, including when it may be appropriate to stop undertaking on-call duties. If on-calls are removed, you will still need to fulfil your contracted hours through your normal working week, but your pay should remain protected.

Notifying organisations about your leave

As a trainee, there are several people and organisations you will need to inform about your plans to take parental leave:

Your trust: formally notify your line manager. They will provide the relevant policy documents and paperwork
Your Training Programme Director (TPD)
NHSE: submit a query through the PGMDE Support Portal

Your trust will also require your Mat B1 certificate, which you can obtain from your GP or midwife. It is a good idea to keep a copy, as your partner may also need it when applying for parental or paternity leave.

Maternity Leave

Most specialist trainees are entitled to NHS maternity benefits, with pay reducing over the course of the leave.

Occupational Maternity Pay (OMP) for eligible NHS employees consists of:

8 weeks at full pay
18 weeks at half pay

To retain OMP, you must intend to return to NHS employment within 15 months of starting maternity leave. If you do not return, you may be required to repay the occupational element of your maternity pay.

Your trust can provide a detailed breakdown of your maternity pay entitlements. This can be particularly useful if you are moving between trusts.

You continue to accrue annual leave and bank holidays while on parental leave. These can either be taken at the end of your leave period or incorporated into your overall period of leave, if you are taking a year or less away from work.

Some useful definitions

EWC: Expected Week of Childbirth, from the Sunday before to the Saturday after your predicted due date
EDD: Expected Date of Delivery, the date your baby is due
OMP: Occupational Maternity Pay, available to those with at least one year of continuous NHS service by the 11th week before their EWC
SMP: Statutory Maternity Pay, paid by your Trust. You must have been employed by your Trust for 26 weeks by the 15th week before your EWC
MA: Maternity Allowance, an alternative to SMP paid by the Department for Work and Pensions. This is usually relevant if you are new to a Trust. It is paid at the same rate as SMP but requires completion of an MA1 application form

Shared parental leave

Shared Parental Leave (SPL) enables parents to share up to 52 weeks of leave following the birth or adoption of a child. The first two weeks after birth are compulsory maternity leave. After this, parents can decide how they would like to divide the remaining leave between them.

NHS Employers provides guidance and examples of how Shared Parental Leave arrangements can work in practice.

Read shared parental leave guidance

Paternity leave

Eligible fathers and partners can take up to two weeks of statutory paternity leave within the first eight weeks following the birth of their child. These weeks may be taken separately but must be taken as complete weeks.

You must notify your Trust of your intention to take paternity leave by the end of the 25th week of pregnancy.

Paternity leave is available to biological and adoptive fathers, husbands, civil partners, and partners of either sex who live with the mother or adopter in an enduring relationship.

Keeping in touch and returning to work

All trainees are entitled to up to 10 paid Keeping in Touch (KIT) days during maternity or paternity leave. These can be used in a variety of ways, including attending courses, training activities or workplace events, and should be agreed with your educational supervisor.

NHSE's Supported Return to Training (SuppoRTT) programme provides practical support for trainees returning after a period away from training. Information on planning your leave and preparing for your return is available through the programme.

Read about Supported Return to Training

Parental leave while out of programme (OOP)

Taking parental leave while out of programme, for example during a research placement, can involve additional planning and coordination alongside the steps outlined above.

As you may need to liaise with several organisations, it is helpful to start these conversations as early as possible. Depending on your circumstances, this may include:

Your TPD, as your planned return-to-training date may change
Your local deanery, which may have designated contacts for out-of-programme matters
Your university and Head of Postgraduate Research, if you are registered for a higher degree and need to arrange a suspension of studies
Your funding body, as some organisations may provide additional funding or project support during parental leave. This depends on the funding body and terms and conditions of your award
The HR department of your employer, whether that is a university or NHS organisation. If you are employed on a fixed-term contract for your research project, you may need to discuss extending your contract
Your research or project supervisor

If you are undertaking OOP research, your project may continue in some form during your absence. Before starting parental leave, meet with your supervisor to discuss:

Consider how much time, if any, you would be willing to spend on your project while on parental leave, for example working remotely, analysing data or writing papers. Discuss this with your supervisor before your leave begins
Discuss any cover arrangements needed for your project while you are away. It is also worth agreeing how much contact you would like with your supervisor or research group during your leave, whether by email, online meetings or in person

Plan ahead

Although you do not need to confirm the exact length of your parental leave immediately, it is helpful to start thinking about your plans and keep your TPD and research supervisor informed as early as possible.

Parental leave during an out-of-programme period may increase the amount of time you spend away from clinical work. It can therefore be useful to consider how your return to training will be supported, for example through courses, local return-to-training schemes or Keeping in Touch (KIT) days.

You do not need to provide all the details straight away, but early communication can make planning easier for everyone involved.

Membership fees

A number of organisations, including the British Thoracic Society (BTS) and the BMA, offer reduced membership fees while you are on parental leave. It is worth contacting them early to find out what support or discounts may be available.

Written by:

Lola Loewenthal

Amanda Goodwin