New NHS rules on shared parental leave means doctors who are also parents should soon be able to share childcare more equally and, in some cases, be able to share it for the first time ever.
Until now, many trainee doctors didn’t qualify for shared leave because they rotate their work round different hospitals, effectively working for a new employer each time. In addition, others would be financially worse off if they were able to share the leave.
The changes will give parents the ability to share up to six weeks’ full pay, inclusive of the statutory pay entitlement and 18 weeks’ half pay plus the statutory pay entitlement. Junior doctors in England will be eligible for it, including those who must rotate through different hospitals as part of their training.
Dr Jeeves Wijesuriya, BMA chair, junior doctors committee, said that the changes were a "simple yet crucial step towards addressing the gender pay gap within medicine".
He added: “Starting a family represents a significant life change for anyone whatever their profession, with the prospect of becoming a parent resulting in re-evaluation of priorities and working arrangements.
“These new rules give junior doctors more choice and flexibility in how they share and take leave to care for their children in those vital early months. Previously, doctors in training would generally be worse off if they chose to split their leave between two parents rather than one parent taking all the paid entitlement.
"Before the change in rules on eligibility for shared parental leave too, it would have been impossible for some junior doctors on rotational contracts to get enough service to qualify for the leave entitlement. Now they can, many more families will be able to share leave in that first year.”
