NHS continuous service

[Soapysuds64]

I was working for the NHS on a fixed term contract - had 3 years continuous service from a number of contracts one after the other. However, when the last fixed term expired, at the last minute it was decided not to extend it. I managed to get redeployed into a different NHS post, but there was a 3 week gap between the jobs. I had been offered the new job before the old one finished, but I had an operation planned, so I took a few days off for that. I have now learnt that to maintain continuous service, the break must be no more than one week..... can anyone advise what are the benefits of continuous service, and whether it is worth complaining? I am a member of a Union - could they help?

[retirednow]

Continuous service affects your pension entitlement

[gamerwidow]

Some benefits are based on reckonable service rather than continuous I.e. pension and leave so the gap won’t matter. I think it might affect what you’d get in terms of redundancy pay as that is based on continuous.

[lougle]

There is no impact on a break of service of 3 weeks:

From the NHS Employers Terms and Conditions Document:
"Reckonable service
12.1 An employee’s continuous previous service with any NHS employer counts as reckonable service in respect of NHS agreements on redundancy, maternity, sick pay and annual leave.

12.2 Employers have discretion to take into account any period or periods of employment with employers outside the NHS, where these are judged to be relevant to NHS employment.

12.3 When employees who have been transferred out of NHS employment to a non-NHS provider return to NHS employment, their continuous service with a new non-NHS employer providing NHS funded services, will be counted as reckonable in respect of NHS agreements on sick pay, annual leave and incremental credit.

Re-appointment of previous NHS employees.
12.4 On returning to NHS employment, a previous period or periods of NHS service will be counted towards the employee’s entitlement to annual leave.

12.5 On returning to NHS employment, a previous period or periods of NHS service will be counted towards the employee’s entitlement to sickness absence, where there has been a break or breaks in service of 12 months or less."

Pension breaks of up to 5 years are accumulated, so 3 weeks has no impact there either.

[lougle]

Or are you saying that the 3 week break has restarted your clock for redundancy and occupational maternity leave?

[Fulbe]

Sorry for corpsing on this thread but in case anyone else comes across this topic, you are allowed up to 3 months in between jobs without it affecting your pay and conditions.

It will not count as 'reckonable service' though, which is the total time you've worked for. So for example if you've worked for 4 years and 9 months then have a 3 month gap before your next job, you will still have to work another 3 months to get your 5 years' annual leave bonus.

Continuous service

15.106 For the purposes of calculating whether the employee meets the qualification set out in paragraph 15.14, 15.15 or 15.17 to have had 12 months of continuous service with one or more NHS employers, NHS employers include health authorities, NHS boards, NHS trusts, and the Northern Ireland Health Service and are set out in Annex 1. The following breaks in service will be disregarded (but do not count as service)

i) a break in service of three months or less will be disregarded