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Congratulations on your pregnancy!
Congratulations on your pregnancy!
Expecting a child is an exciting experience, but it can also be stressful and filled with many unknowns. It can be difficult to know who to tell and hard to find out what you need to do.
We have put together a timeline of important dates and recommended steps to take during your pregnancy below, along with some guidance about navigating working whilst pregnant.
Many people do not wish to inform work of their pregnancy until later on.
However it may be worth considering informing someone you feel comfortable with at work early in your pregnancy to facilitate risk assessments and make any necessary work adjustments.
It can be difficult to know who to tell, here are some nominated contacts at each trust who you can approach discreetly and should help provide advice and support
There is also a whatsap community you can join here
You may be affected by symptoms of pregnancy and wish to avoid potential occupational hazards from the start of your pregnancy.
Here is some more information on risk assessments and occupational risks you may encounter at work
We recommend you have a risk assessment as soon as possible to help facilitate any adjustments to be made
Information on taking leave for antenatal appointments and sickness during pregnancy
Information on risk assessments, occupational hazards and how you might adjust your working pattern during pregnancy
Click to download a 1 page PDF checklist
Click to download an iCal file to track your pregnancy progress in your calendar
As soon as you feel comfortable
Inform the department and rota coordinator
Inform your educational supervisor
Complete an initial risk assessment
ASAP
Consider stopping salary sacrifice schemes by week 17
Your average weekly earnings are calculated on your gross income
If you are in a salary sacrifice scheme, the calculation will be based on your pay after this is taken out
Therefore your maternity pay will be reduced compared to what you might expect
It's worth considering stopping any salary sacrifice schemes early enough so your maternity pay isn’t impacted
More info on how your parental leave pay is calculated can be found here
Week 14
Inform your TPD and HEE of your pregnancy
This is not an official deadline, however if you are due to rotate hospitals after 29 weeks and choose not to rotate, it’s useful to give as much notice as possible as HEE has to give 3 month’s notice of changes to rotations.
Week 20
Get you MATB1 form
You can get this from your midwife any time from 20 weeks
Your MatB1 form provides proof of your pregnancy and due date
You (and your partner) will need to share it with your employer when you apply for parental leave and pay
Week 25
Submit your maternity leave application and MatB1 form to your employer
This is the latest you should notify your supervisor and employer of your pregnancy
This needs to be done by now in order to be eligible for maternity leave and pay
This application officially informs your employer of your pregnancy, EDD and anticipated maternity leave start date
Week 25
This is your "qualifying week"
Parental pay is worked out based on your average weekly earnings on the 2 payslips before this.
You need to have been employed by your trust for 26 weeks prior to this to qualify for SPP, unless you have moved trusts due to a training (more info here)
Week 20-30
Complete a risk assessment
You may want to discuss changes to on call commitments and your anticipated start date mat leave
Click here for more information
Week 29
Maternity leave can start any time from now
You need to have 12 months continuous service with the NHS by this point to receive occupational maternity pay
If you are due to rotate hospitals after this point you have the right to choose to either
Rotate to another hospital or
Stay at your current post until delivery (click here for more info and references)
Week 34
If your partner is planning on taking SPL immediately after your compulsory 2 weeks of maternity leave:
Make sure you have submitted a SPL application by now
Submit your notice of curtailment of ML
A minimum of 8 weeks notice is needed for changes to SPL dates and for notice of curtailment of ML (you need to end your maternity leave before you can start SPL)
Think about the original maternity leave date you submitted - remember you must give 28 days notice to change the start date of you maternity leave
In reality you may not be able to give notice of changes to your leave start dates due to earlier delivery, sickness etc and trusts should be supportive of this.However planned changes should be made with the advised notice period where possible
Month before your leave
You should receive a breakdown of your anticipated parental leave pay a month before your leave is due to start
There is some guidance here to help you check your pay is correct
You may also want to clarify how much you will be paid for any KiT / SPLiT days you chose to take
If you haven't received this you may want to contact HR / payroll
Week 36
Pregnancy related illness from now can trigger the start of maternity leave
However if you want to keep working until your previously agreed maternity leave start date, odd days may be disregarded
Before you go
If you are planning to be off for a period of more than 3 months:
Meet with ES to complete pre-absence form here so you can access the SuppoRTT fund
Meet with ES / manager to plan and find out process of booking KiT/SPLiT days at your trust
SuppoRRT is an HEE initiative to help give individualised support to trainees returning to work after a period of time out
To access this you need to complete a pre-absence form before going on maternity leave
Click here to find out more and how to apply in your local HEE region
Before you go
Inform your professional bodies of your upcoming leave to access membership discounts - click here for more info
Before you go
Contact IT to ensure your hospital log ins are not deleted
Contact NHS Email to ensure your email address is not deleted
Place an out of office on your emails with a return date
Other things to think about
Other things to think about
Consider booking an antenatal class – these become very booked up from early in pregnancy
Can be a great way to meet local parents-to-be expecting at a similar time
Sign up to childcare waiting lists – childcare options can have waiting lists 1-2 years long therefore you need to join well before baby arrives depending on if and when you’re planning childcare for your baby!
As soon as your midwife confirms your pregnancy, ask for your Maternity Exemption card
This gives you free dental care and prescriptions during pregnancy and 12 months after birth of baby
Vaccinations in pregnancy
Vaccinations in pregnancy
Click here for NHS advice for vaccines during pregnancy
16-32/40 Pertussis vaccine (every pregnancy)
28-36/40 RSV vaccine (every pregnancy)
Any time Flu vaccine (if applicable - seasonal, starting from September every year)
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