Leaving NHS pension after max qualifying years?

Dr_Wu

jackyann wrote: »

I suggest your colleague contacts NHS pensions. I always found them very helpful.
They have obviously, a very detailed knowledge of the different pension schemes (most current NHS employees fall into 3 categories: pre-1995; 1995-about 2008(I think); and after that)

"Special Classes" were abolished in 1995, so the number who qualify are very few now. Your colleague must have been one of the last to begin work at 15 in the NHS as it was about 40 years ago that the school leaving age was raised to 16.
Also unusual as even back then you couldn't work with patients until you were 16, but could of course do domestic/admin/clerical work. You could begin Orthopaedic or Psychiatric training at 17, but general or children's nursing began at age 18.

Yes we've contacted NHS pensions already hence my last post.

No Jackyann, my colleague didn't start work at 15!

Staff in the 1995 section with MHO status 'double up' which means that every qualifying year after 20 counts as 2, so 30 years count as 40 (20 + 2 x 10). It's therefore possible to start at 25, finish at 55 with 40 years qualifying pension.

jackyann

Ah!!!!
I was a "special class" so tend to know about them, but had forgotten that MHO is different again (shouldn't have, as a friend has recently benefited from it).
I have to say, that the good people who drafted it were right. As front-line clinical staff, with responsibilities well over the grade 6 I was actually paid, I was feeling burned-out in my late 50s. I have a feeling that the new NHS pension that kicks in a state retirement age, is going to lead to a lot of "ill health" retirements.
good luck to your colleague (and to you) - and as I said, NHS pensions were very helpful to me (chequered contributions typical of a part-time / stay at home mum) and unearthed some extra in my favour.