Maternity pay for NHS employees

[roobarbandcustard]

Hi-hope I'm in the right place! My husband and I are in the early stages of TTC and I'm wondering if anyone works for the NHS and if they have any idea about maternity pay? I don't want to approach work at the mo as it's just a dream for the time being, but I am keen to have some idea of roughly how much I might get take home each month (mortgage etc !!). I'm assuming that pension etc will continue to be taken, however what about additional payments for unsocial hours? Is there any allowance for this, as there is when on sick leave, or is it just basic pay? I know about the eight weeks full pay, 18 weeks half pay+SMP and 13 weeks SMP only, but I think there is an option to average out over 12 months.

Any help/advice would be very much appreciated! Thanks in advance!

You don't get unsocial hours pay but the wage they base it on is an average of what you earned over a certain period, something like weeks 20-28 of the pregancy(don't quote me).

So if that period included lots of weekend shifts and bank holidays, you average pay will be pretty good, and the half pay etc you recieve will reflect this.

You can, I think, have it paid over the 12 months but I think you would need to ask. And you can opt to have the extra pay at the end if you are not sure whether you are returning after ML.
IIRC you need to return to work after Mat leave, to your old job or another NHS post, for 13 weeks, or you would have to pay back the extra Mat Pay (Not SMP, you keep that regardless)

Thanks for that info, very helpful! Just have to hope that we get to use it soon!

I've had my mety pay averaged over the 39 weeks. If you are on Agenda for CHange there is a section in handbook which explains how it all works.

Good luck!

And therein lies why we need a change of government and fast....

Why???

yes do explain tootle!!!!!!!

roobar - there should be a staff handbook available with this information.

this website is so interesting, and f you click on the lnk for NHS terms and conditions all will be revealed!

Yup, that time and a third on a night shift being counted in the mat leave has really brought the economy to it's knees.

maybe we should make sure no woman has a baby at night, then won't have to work them, and we will all be saved...

or should I leave my baby at night, and miss the next day while I sleep too - for my basic pay of.....wait...£14 per hour. Such riches! AND only 2 A's and 1 B at a level, a 4 year degree at a Russel group uni, and 8 years experience to get it. Lucky me!

Wouldn't want to criple the economy or anything, what with that job I do being so draining on the poor tax paying financiers.

Ahhh, I'm feeling sooooo motivated to go and slog my guts out on a 12 hour shift tomorrow, trying to give people a positive birth experence.

Happy May Day.

Hello you!

Gawd can only apologise for typos. Dodgy keyboard

Hope you are well ilove. x

I have no issue with nurses basic pay being increased but the maternity benefits are a lot higher than other industries. So the government think that the SMPI is ok for the masses but not NHS staff.

Why not the same for everyone? That's what I object to.

don't most employers offer better than SMP?

No, a lot only of SMPI and as that's all the government say that they have to pay they can legally get away with it.

So, if the government say SMPI isn't good enough for their own staff why is it good enough for other industries?

Don't understand that logic tootsie, why not the same higher rate for everyone? Tha nhs is a good employer in that respect, surely it would be better for other employers to be forced to increase what they pay, rather than nhs employees to get less?

and nhs employees are "the masses" it's the biggest employer in europe.

presumably because they are in a position to make their maternity package more attractive than the basic rate to attract the staff they want.
The NHS is heavily staffed by women.

My point is is should be the same whether it be higher or lower, not one for public and one for private.

But surely SMP is what the government has decided an employee is entitled to. it's up to the employer (which includes the government) whether they choose to pay more than this for their own reasons. If you think SMP should be higher, fine, but the fact NHS employees get a certain amount shouldn't be the reasoning.

What I don't understand is why SMP and MA aren't the same? Why do you get more maternity pay from the government if you're employed? Is it a general push of employed = good?

So actually your beef is with the private sector businesses/employers who choose not to offer additional maternity pay?

As was always the case, many public sector workers accept modest wages in return for a decent pension package/sick pay/relative security in employment but forgo the oppurtunity of megabucks in return.

If the NHS offered poor conditions it would find it even more difficult to recruit and retain it's staff - then who would be looking after you? An ever changing assortment of temps with no vocation, no sense of duty or care for the patients, who are just there for cash

I'm assuming you work in the private sector. Why?

But it's not sustainable. The country has a huge deficit which needs to be paid for, we can't afford the public sector final salary pension scheme etc.

And a good number of private sector workers get crap pay, crap benefits, no job security and play a very important role in the country as well.

You all seem to take any criticism of the public as a personal attack. It's not, but the government bangs on about equality and fairness but it isn't. Because employers can get away with paying less they do, resulting in a large number of people saying 'I can't earn as much as I do on benefits so why bother'. Leaving the likes of me and others in the private sector to have to pay more for it.

I think you are confusing two different issues. Private sector employers don't pay low wages because people in the nhs get good maternity pay.

And actually tootles you're talking crap, I work for a local authority, you know those things that employ teachers, social workers, carers etc and our maternity pay is much worse than Lloyds TSB a company that had to be bailed out by the taxpayer.

I personally think that there is an overlap between the two.
The government could ensure more is available to the private sector, reduce those on benefits which would offset the cost of putting more into the private.
As a separate issue to offset some of the deficit they could get rid of the pension etc and this would help the overall economy. I would even go so far as to say that nurses should get more to offset the need for them to pay into their own pension but office workers/managers and the like, no way.

However, as the government won't do this we have to hope they government changes and fast.

eh? Don't understand your distinction between nurses and office workers/managerrs? Everyone who works in NHS is on same terms and conditions and pays same into their pension scheme?

Also - NHS have just introduced a new pension scheme???