Who to tell
If you are absent from training for any reason, or planning to be absent (i.e. maternity/paternity leave):
- Let the Host Employer know
- Let your practice / hospital education provider know
- Let your programme administrator know
Remember if the sum total of the time you are way is more than 2 weeks per year you will need an extension to training which needs to be planned (it will not automatically be arranged). Be sure to notify your programme administrator.
Useful Links
- Study Leave
- Change Forms to be completed every time there is a change to your training programme.
- Prolonged Absence Policy
- NHS Maternity Leave information This includes information about the '11 week rule' i.e. who is responsible for your maternity leave payments.
- Paternity Leave This includes information for trainees and supervisors.
- Healthy Working UK
- Improving Working Lives - Child Care Advice
- Statutory Maternity Leave: Returning to Work
- Returning to Work FIT FAQs
Annual Leave
Each Trainee is entitled to twenty seven days holiday a year plus bank holidays, this is pro-rata for those who work less than a year and the number of days will be calculated pro-rata for those that work less than full time. Trainees who, as a result of their longer service in the NHS, are on pay scale 03 and above are entitled to an extra five days leave.
Sickness Absence, Jury Service, Maternity Paternity or Carer's Leave
The RCGP will allow time off from the training programme for sickness absence, jury service, maternity leave or paternity leave, or carer's leave in accordance with the contractual arrangements with the current employer.
However, the total, aggregated allowance for sickness absence, jury service and or maternity/paternity leave must not exceed one week in any post, up to a maximum of two weeks in a twelve month training period, and six weeks over the three-year training period (Please note that one year would be a calendar year beginning from programme start date).
Any sickness and/or jury service and/or maternity/paternity leave and/or carer's leave taken in excess of this must be made up in full, but not necessarily in the speciality or post where the absence occurred. (Note that although this is the instructions from the RCGP discussions are currently taking place around the one week in any post rule and the Deanery currently feel that two weeks is more appropriate).
Trainees must first seek advice and agreement from the Director of Postgraduate Education if they need to take maternity/paternity leave, have to attend jury service or are absent due to sickness or the taking of carer's leave. Managing compliance with absence from training is a function of deaneries.
Trainees should confirm with the RCGP and their deanery that their plans to make up lost time will mean that their programme of training conforms, on completion, with regulatory requirements.
It is RCGP and GMC guidance that training periods of less than three months in duration will not normally count towards a CCT. However, in cases where a GP in training has to make up time lost through sickness, jury service and/or maternity/paternity leave, the College may be able to request that GMC accept training periods of less than three months towards a CCT as long as a full three year training programme is completed. The final decision regarding this lies with GMC.
Trainees must remain GMC registered with a current licence to practise at all times while holding a current Severn GP NTN number. This is a School policy, and a requirement in the Gold Guide (section 6.25). Voluntary erasure from the register would compromise their right to a CCT.
Keeping in Touch Days
A trainee may work for up to a maximum of 10 keeping in touch (KIT) days during their maternity/paternity leave. The work does not have to be consecutive and can include training or other activities which enable the employee to keep in touch with the workplace. These keeping in touch days do not normally count towards the 36 months training requirement.
Working While Pregnant
Pregnant women are likely to be exposed to a whole range of viral illnesses in the community and from their own children at home. You can’t exclude them from life! Pregnancy and Work
Click here for the HPA document about rash illnesses in pregnancy. Section 4 has a section about occupational exposure and basically says no need to exclude – do a risk assessment and consider the setting. Clearly if you are not immune to chicken pox and there is a case of chicken pox, then you should avoid it but you should be immune to rubella, measles, mumps and chickenpox if you have attended for immunisations when requested to do so by OH.
Guidance for control of parvovirus B19 infection in healthcare settings and the community The parvo risk is low and the evidence suggests it is only a problem in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. Pregnant teachers or nursery workers whose exposure is likely to be more prolonged than a GP are not routinely excluded and this might only be considered if there was an outbreak, you were less than 20 weeks and shown to be susceptible on serology . You could have your parvo antibodies done by your GP if you are really worried about it but we don’t routinely do it in OH because there has never been agreement with microbiology to do so. Again there is probably a comparable risk from community exposure.
Pregnancy: occupational aspects of management. Concise guidelines for clinical practice