Maternity Leave NHS

[Chl03]

I'm currently on maternity leave with my first, and I'm pregnant again. I haven't really figured out what my plan is for when I go back other than that I will need to drop my hours down to 16ish because of not wanting to be away from my child.
I haven't told my employer yet because it's so early, but I will once I'm out of the first trimester, so I can't ask them about how my maternity leave would work.
My first was born July 2021, and number 2 is due October 2022, so if I go back around May/June I will be back for 3 months at least before I would go back onto maternity leave. Am I even allowed to have a second maternity leave? And is there any chance of getting the NHS scheme leave, or would it be SMP? If anyone has been through this and could advise that would be amazing! x

Hi, im not sure about NHS maternity policy but I have 11 months between my youngest. When I returned from mat leave I was 24 weeks pregnant. I told my manager on my first day back, I worked for 8 weeks then took a year off. you are entitled to take another period of maternity leave, im not sure if you'd qualify for mat pay or SMP, I think that's dependant on their own policy.

Thank you, once I'm out of the first trimester I'll ask them and see what their policy is :) x

in the case of an employee currently on maternity leave who intends to take a second period of maternity leave, either concurrently, or in close succession to the first, who is in receipt of:
o half of full pay (plus any Statutory Maternity Pay, or o Maternity Allowance (including any dependents'
allowance) receivable) or
o nopay
during the whole or part of the period used for calculating average weekly earnings, in accordance with the earnings rules for Statutory Maternity Pay purposes, average weekly earnings for the second period of maternity leave shall be calculated on the basis on notional full pay.

See this for all the info you need regarding maternity pay... www.nhsemployers.org/publications/tchandbook

In relation to reducing your hours to 16 per week. You will only recieve maternity pay for the 16 hours. Also have you discussed this with your line manager/requested flexible working? Not sure how many hours you currently work but 16 hours is quite low and I know it would not be approved in my area of work as that few hours would impact patient care. When I returned from maternity leave originally they would only approve 30 hours per week but after negotiation agreed 22.5 hours per week.

@1fluffydoodle That's great thank you, that sounds like they would take my salary I should have been getting during those weeks as I would be on no pay for most of the weeks they would asses!

@Donimo I'm okay with having a reduced pay if I get to spend more time with my son, I was mainly worried I would get nothing as the weeks they would assess for pay I would be on no pay. I don't work on the front line and it is quite common in my area to have people go on flexible working/reduce their hours right down for any reason, not just for health or kids.

Could you negotiate using some annual leave and parental leave when you return to work then reduce your hours when you return from the second maternity leave

Hi.

I would personally go back on higher hours eg 4 days for the 3 months and use accrued annual leave to take time back. Its only 3 months and it will fly by.

For example use 2 days a week for 12 weeks which you probably have left after being on mat leave. This allows your next mat pay to be higher, accrue more annual leave, and then you can make the financial decision post second baby. You may find you need to work more with the cost of 2!

16 hours is very specific... is it for child tax or is it just an example? No way would my service allow that but perhaps nurses or HCAs would

You do sound very honest which is lovely x

@1fluffydoodle I could but I would feel unfair doing that to my team, they knew there was a chance I would be dropping my contract down but to keep it up and then manipulate it to get the same time off wouldn't feel right for how I want my team to see me when I do go back properly.

@bookish83 I could definitely use the extra money and accured leave but again I don't know how I feel about trying to get as much money as possible from the NHS for my maternity. I might just be honest with my manager when I get to 12 weeks, so way before I go back, and see what he would recommend as the best way forward. If he was okay with me keeping my hours up and then getting extra leave in I would consider it.
The 16 hours is the minimum I need to be working to finish my apprenticeship, I have one exam left and I had been on Level 4 for 10 months when I went on leave so I couldn't take my final exam, and ideally I'd like to get it finished in-between babies! x

Did you find out what you're entitled too? I'm in a similar situation and intrigued to find out x