NHS staff maternity benefits

pink_penguin

Hello

I am hoping someone can clarify something for me (so I can avoid asking HR directly lol)!

I work in the NHS and am newly married, me and my husband want to start trying for a baby next year. If you have been in the NHS for a year you are entitled to enhanced maternity benefits on condition of returning to work. Can someone clarify for me that this means that as long as you have a years service at the point of being pregnant 29 weeks (11 weeks before due date) then you have the entitlement?

The policy says as follows:

Maternity Entitlements
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For simple clarification the following entitlements have also been set out in a table in Appendix 1.
An employee working full time or part time will be entitled to paid and unpaid maternity leave under the NHS contractual maternity pay scheme if:

(i) she has twelve months continuous service with one or more NHS employers at the beginning of the eleventh week before the expected week of childbirth (EWC)
(ii) she has completed the application form (Appendix 2) fully and has indicated that she intends to return to work for a minimum of three months after the end of the maternity leave period

Thank you very much for any help x
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