To ask about NHS breaks in service

[queenpop]

Sorry, posting here for traffic

For some reason I thought if you left the nhs for more than 3 months it would count as a break in service and you would have to start from scratch in terms of banding/holiday entitlement/pension when you rejoined, however from googling it looks like it's actually 12 months.

Anyone know for sure?

Sorry obviously my HR is closed today and I am impatient.

Standard agenda for change wording is 12mo

"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"

Great thanks! hopefully this is the case for all trusts then, I can't afford to go back to work until jan when my eldest gets free hours so at least then I can keep some of the benefits I have accrued over the past ten year.

Depends on the benefit. There’s a difference between continuous service and (I think) reckonable service. I really can’t remember the details but I think things like pension are 12 months, but other stuff like the additional annual leave are much shorter and vary from Trust to Trust.

Oh

Sorry I’m really not sure I’m right though! I just remember taking unpaid leave at the end of one contract so I could have a break between jobs, as my manager was concerned a gap of two weeks would see me losing out.

Ok, a quick google suggests that’s its redundancy you miss out on with a gap over a week, the other stuff is longer. So you should be ok

Hi
It can depend between trusts and certain policies but banding is based on the job role, your point if scale depends on your continuous service to start with but is usually negotiable for clinical staff if you ha va relevant experience and can prove it (payslip)

Holiday/pension is based on reckonable service (total time worked in nhs). 27 day plus 8 bh for under 5 years, 28+8 for 5 years plus and 33 +8 for 10 years plus.

Ok thanks all, sounds like I'll at least be able to retain my good pension, whether I'll get to keep my extra holiday days is not so clear.