Paternity leave for Doctors

[peneloperabbit]

Hi there,
My partner has just started A&E and his employers are trying to tell hime that he cannot choose when he goes on paternity leave due to the complications it will cause in the rota. He has been alloted two weeks from my due date. Can they do this? He could be finished his leave by the time i go into labour!!!! Has anyone else had this experience?

[nuttygirl]

AFAIK statutory paternity leave cannot start until the baby is born. Check out the dti website.

[nuttygirl]

Sorry that should have been the direct gov site....

but this is copied from there...

How much paternity leave can you take?
You can take either one or two weeks. You can't take odd days off, and if you take two weeks they must be taken together.

You can choose to start the leave:

on the day the baby's born
a number of days or weeks after the baby's born
from a specific date after the first day of the week in which the baby's expected to be born
Your leave can start on any day of the week (but not before the baby is born), but has to finish within 56 days of the baby being born or, if the baby's born before the week it was due, within 56 days of the first day of that week.

[nuttygirl]

So he CAN shoose when to start his leave and they CAN'T force him to take it from your due date (particularly if you haven't given birth by then).

Sorry for posting so many times...I blame the pg brain .

[chocolatekimmy]

No they can't dictate to him - load of rubbish.

One or two whole (and consective if 2) weeks from a date from when the child is born up to 56 days after (it has to finish by the 56th day). Baby has to be born before taking it.

To qualify for leave, he must tell his employer in writing at least 15 weeks before the beginning of the week when the baby's due:

when the baby is due
whether he wants one or two weeks' leave
when he wants the leave to start

He also has to have 26 weeks service by the end of the 15th week

Make sure he notifies them in time and correctly as by not following procedure you can lose the entitlement (unless there is a good reason for not telling them in time)

he is also entitled to time off for dependents when you go in to labour/give birth though this is unpaid. This is in addition to paternity leave so I would suggest take the paternity from the day after the baby is born as you will get the day off it is born anyway plus the two weeks after.

[peneloperabbit]

Thanks guys,

This is what I thought. He's said this to them, but they seem unwilling to accept it and are making things very difficult. I'm going to print him off some stuff so he can wave it in their faces. I can't understand why though,they would have to cope if he was ill or broke his arm or something. Bloody NHS. I work for them too and they're being incredibly difficult about me going back part time - but that's another story.

[chocolatekimmy]

Just get him to put his letter in, with all the information and within the timescale.

then just leave it and go absent when he has stated after you have given birth.

They don't have to grant permission. Make sure he keeps a log of who he hands the letter to and when

[lou031205]

When NHS were being difficult regarding return to work following mat leave (I am a nurse), I found a recorded delivery letter and follow up phone call did wonders - got me back in to work pronto.