Parental leave


At a glance

  • Parental Leave is in addition to flexible working, Maternity leave, Paternity leave and special leave.
  • To be eligible for Parental leave your trainee must be employed either full or part time, and must have one years qualifying service with the NHS and who have a child, up until the child's 14th birthday, or 18th birthday for a disabled child.  *Please note that LTFT Trainees will be entitled to parental leave on a pro-rata basis depending on the hours that they work.
  • Trainees are entitled to a total of 18 weeks parental leave for each child. Entitlement is 4 weeks paid and 14 weeks unpaid up until the child's 14th birthday, or 18th birthday for a disabled child. Please note that this is not a yearly entitlement. 

Parental Leave Process - Further information

A Trainee who wishes to request Parental Leave should firstly apply to their manager / supervisor in writing at least 21 days before they wish to commence parental leave using the Parental Leave application form.

The Trainee should provide appropriate documentation e.g. sight of the original birth certificate of the child for whom they are applying for parental leave, adoption papers or in the case of a disabled child, the award of disability living allowance for the child.

*Please note this information is only required on the first occasion of applying for parental leave.  If a Partner is applying for parental leave around the time of the birth of their child, they will be required to produce a copy of the MAT B1 certificate.

All applications will be considered and discussed between the trainee and supervisor to ensure the request meets the needs of the service. Please remember to contact the Deanery Team to discuss any potential training implications.

All completed and approved forms should be returned to your placement board contact (contact list here) if you are in a hospital post, and HR Trainee Services - Jira Service Management (atlassian.net) if you are in a GP Practice post.

For the full policy please click here, any questions regarding the policy and entitlement please contact medical staffing in your Placement Board.

 Further information, including all the forms that require completion, can be found here.