I'll try to condense as much as possible.
My form was due in by 5th March. I was on holiday for a week prior to that date so handed it to my bosses colleague in an envelope marked for his attention and that of HR. I did not give it to him personally as he was on holiday himself.
I received a phone call from him the following Friday (while I was still on holiday) to confirm what date I wished to start mat leave and if I intended to take holidays etc. before then.
When I returned to work from holiday my boss had left due to promotion. He still works for the company just a different location. I was unaware this was imminent and although he knew he wouldn't be there when I got back off hols he didn't mention it.
However, I wasn't too concerned because I knew he'd received my form so I assumed he'd passed it to HR after our phone call. (I know he knew he was supposed to).
Anyway, I'm now 35 weeks and had been re-reading the maternity policy as I was thinking about going a little earlier than planned (Start ML a week earlier and add a weeks holiday) and wanted to check This would be ok. I got concerned when I read that I should have had a letter confirming my dates within a few weeks of submitting my form and I hadn't got one. I phoned HR who told me that they had no formal knowledge that I was expecting (just grapevine stuff) as they'd had no MatB1 forwarded to them.
They said they would contact my old boss if I could speak to my new boss and their colleague who had taken the form from me in the first instance.
My new boss doesn't know anything about it (and why should he?) and my old boss has told HR that it's filed but no one can find it. Colleague is off this week and not contactable till middle of next week.
What can I do? I want to finish up end of next week which I know in principle is fine but it means there's less time to get my form to HMRC or whoever so that my SMP kicks in. I'm so frustrated and now worried that I'm not going to be paid while I'm off through the inaction of my former boss