Paid leave for NHS staff experiencing pregnancy loss

Thursday 14 Mar 2024 @ 09:15
NHS England

NHS staff who suffer a miscarriage will now receive up to 10 days additional paid leave, under new guidance issued to local hospitals yesterday.

Women who experience a miscarriage in the first 24 weeks of pregnancy will be offered up to 10 days paid leave and their partners will be offered up to 5.

While those who experience a loss after 6 months of pregnancy will remain eligible for paid maternity leave.

Couples often struggle to take the time they need to heal from the trauma of pregnancy loss, but in a healthcare sector first, the NHS has created national, formal guidance for local services to follow for their staff.

The National pregnancy and baby loss people policy framework will ask NHS trusts to give staff paid time off to attend appointments including for medical examinations, scans and tests, as well as mental health-related interventions.

Staff who return from work after their pregnancy loss will be offered occupational health support including referrals to specialist services at their trust, or specialist miscarriage and baby loss charities and organisations.

The introduction of paid leave for NHS staff following a miscarriage was first trialled at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Trust, where a staff survey found that staff were twice as likely to stay with their employer as a result of the policy.

1 in 4 pregnancies in the UK end in miscarriage, meaning that hundreds of NHS staff experience miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or medical termination every year.

A national Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development survey found that almost a quarter (24%) of UK employees that had experienced pregnancy or baby loss left their jobs following a poor experience with their organisations.

Dr Navina Evans, Chief Workforce, Training and Education Officer yesterday said:

“Baby loss is an extremely traumatic experience that hundreds of NHS staff experience each year, and it is right they are treated with the utmost care and compassion when going through such an upsetting experience.

“We know the significance of getting support right in the very first instance for our staff, which is why for the first time in the healthcare sector we are providing paid leave so parents can take time out to process this traumatic experience as well as paid time to attend appointments.

“I hope that this formal guidance will see other sectors in the UK adopt such supportive approaches to miscarriage in their own organisations – and if you have experienced baby loss, please come forward to one of our bereavement services which have been rolled out nationally, from this month.”

Raffaela Goodby, Chief People Officer at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s who first trialled the policy yesterday said:

“I hope this national policy to support mother’s and parents with love and compassion at a terrible time in their employment is welcomed across the NHS and drives positive change across the UK.

“Structured support at work for people experiencing miscarriage can have a lifelong impact on the people involved, I hope policies like this become the norm for the NHS and I am grateful to Staff Side, NHS England, Tommy’s and the Miscarriage Association for their energy and support.”

Minister for Women’s Health Strategy, Maria Caulfield yesterday said:

“Our brilliant NHS workers look after us when we need it most and this new guidance is a positive step towards ensuring they are supported through the tragedy of losing of a baby.

“It means doctors, nurses and their partners will now be entitled to additional leave to help process their grief, which is crucial to their long-term mental health and wellbeing.

“This delivers on key recommendations made in the Pregnancy loss review and is part of our efforts to improve women’s health through the Women’s health strategy. We look forward to announcing further support measures to help parents going through this heartbreaking experience.”

Kath Abrahams, Chief Executive of Tommy’s, the baby loss and pregnancy research charity, yesterday said:

“Pregnancy loss can take a huge toll on women and birthing people, both physically and mentally. Their partners may also be profoundly affected.

“As the largest employer in the UK, the NHS is sending a powerful signal that staff going through this experience deserve understanding, compassion and the right to grieve – and that support is possible, no matter what your workplace looks like.

“We know from the Tommy’s Pregnancy and Parenting at Work training scheme what a difference it makes when this kind of policy is embedded and implemented effectively across organisations of all sizes, including NHS trusts. We’re delighted to stand with NHS England as they introduce this ground-breaking policy.”

Channel website: https://www.england.nhs.uk/

Original article link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/2024/03/paid-leave-for-nhs-staff-experiencing-pregnancy-loss/

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NHS England

NHS rolls out discreet home-testing kits against cervical cancer for millions of women

25/08/2026 13:10:00

Nearly 4 million women will be offered HPV self-testing kits if they have not attended cervical screening appointments following invitations from the NHS in England.

The NHS is starting to roll out the new self-testing kits from today to encourage more women to complete their potentially lifesaving screening to detect human papillomavirus (HPV), which can increase the risk of cervical cancer.

England’s leading women’s health doctor described the move as a “gamechanger” given that around a third of those eligible aren’t up to date with their cervical screening, and this test provides a more “discreet and convenient option” for them.

The self-testing kit contains a swab, similar to a long cotton bud, which is used to collect a sample from the vagina. The sample is then posted back to the NHS for free, where it is checked for high-risk HPV.

If high-risk HPV is found, individuals will be invited to book a follow-up cervical screening appointment at their GP surgery or sexual health clinic, where a nurse or doctor will take a small sample from the cervix to check for cell changes.

Cervical screening helps prevent cervical cancer by checking for high-risk types of HPV. It is a common virus that can cause changes to cells in the cervix. These changes can usually be treated before cancer develops.

Women who are eligible will start receiving invitations today via the NHS App, text message, email or letter, and once invited they will be able to order a free kit through the NHS App or their NHS online account.

This is the next major step the NHS is taking in its pledge to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040, by making it as easy as possible for people to get the lifesaving HPV vaccination and increasing cervical screening attendance.

Dr Sue Mann, National Clinical Director for Women’s Health at NHS England, said: “Screening saves thousands of lives each year by preventing cancers and catching them earlier, but only around two-thirds of women are attending cervical screening appointments when invited by the NHS.

“Offering millions of women an alternative test they can do from the comfort of their own homes will be a gamechanger – making it easier than ever for them to get tested for HPV.

“There are lots of reasons that may stop women from getting their cervical screening – embarrassment, lack of time, or worries about discomfort – and these kits provide a discreet and convenient option we hope will encourage more women to take up the life-saving test.

“So, if you’re invited to take part, please order a test – it’s a simple swab you can do at home in minutes.”

Cervical screening appointments with a clinician remain the best way to help prevent cervical cancer, but HPV self-testing is being introduced by the NHS as an additional choice for people who have not taken up previous invitations.

HPV self-testing is an invitation-only offer and is being rolled out in phases across England as part of the NHS Cervical Screening Programme, starting with those aged between 30 and 65, who have not attended cervical screening following previous invitations.

The national rollout comes on the back of the YouScreen trial run by North London cancer alliances in collaboration with NHS England and King’s College London in 2021, which found offering self-testing kits to under-screened women at their GP practice or at home could boost the numbers screened in England by about 400,000 each year.

The UK National Screening Committee used evidence from this trial in its recommendation to roll this out wider.

The latest figures show that 68.8% of eligible women were up to date with their cervical screening – below the NHS England target of 80%. This means around 4 million women in England are not up to date with their routine check-up.

Women aged 24-64 are invited for cervical screening by the NHS every five years, or more frequently if HPV is detected.

Anyone who has been invited for cervical screening can still book an appointment at any time, even if the invitation was sent months or years ago.

It is still important to attend cervical screening appointments if you have been vaccinated against HPV as the vaccine does not provide protection from all types of HPV, so there is a still a small chance of getting cervical cancer.

People who routinely attend for a cervical screening test with a clinician at their GP practice or sexual health clinic should continue to book their appointments as normal.

Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Cervical cancer is preventable – but that’s why we want to make it as easy and convenient as possible for women to keep up with their screening.

“These free self-testing kits will be offered to four million women who are currently behind on their screening to make it easier for as many women as possible to keep themselves healthy and safe.

“This is the future NHS we are building – there for all of us when we need it, and acting as early as possible to stop preventable deaths.”

Cancer Research UK’s Chief Executive, Michelle Mitchell, said: “Cervical screening is a powerful tool that saves lives – it can prevent cervical cancer or spot it at an earlier stage when treatment is more likely to be successful.

“While it’s best for cervical screening to be done by a nurse or doctor, there are barriers that make it challenging for some people to attend. At-home HPV self-testing kits will help more people take part in a way that works for them.

“If people receive their cervical screening or self-testing kit invitation, please consider taking up the offer and encourage loved ones to do the same. Beating cervical cancer means beating it for everyone, and this move brings us closer to that goal.”

Athena Lamnisos, Chief Executive Officer at The Eve Appeal, said: “There are many reasons why those eligible for cervical screening don’t attend.

“Challenges around the type of test it is, limited awareness around HPV and its role in cancer development, as well as practical barriers such as problems around booking and attending an appointment, stop many from going.

“Cervical screening is designed to prevent cervical cancer rather than respond to symptoms, attending a clinic requires people to actively prioritise an appointment among the many competing demands of everyday life.

“Self-testing which can be done at home will be a step-change for many. We have the incredible opportunity to see the back of cervical cancer. How brilliant would that be? But to achieve this, we need to support everyone eligible to attend screening.

“At Eve we welcome the rollout of this programme and its focus on the audiences who need it most in the first stage of the screening pathway. Looking to the future, we hope that self-testing will provide the under-screened and never screened with a new option to help address some of the key barriers.

“This is not a replacement for clinician screening, and we will continue to work with and support those attending their traditional cervical screening, to help make their appointments more comfortable and accessible.

“The NHS has set a 2040 target for eliminating cervical cancer. We hope that rolling out self-testing will help us reach it.”

Dawn Bryant, 62, from Hertfordshire, had cancerous cells found early thanks to NHS cervical screening and feels extremely lucky that it was detected and treated before the cancer progressed any further.

She says cervical screening may have saved her life and is encouraging other women who haven’t had theirs yet or have put it off, to book an appointment or do the at-home HPV test if invited.

“My nan died of cervical cancer when I was only 11 so I know how difficult it can be and how important cervical screening is.

“A screening test when I was 32 found I had severe high-grade cell changes, and after further testing I was told it was cancer.

“I am so lucky it was found at an early stage and could be easily treated. I had some surgery to remove the cells, but I didn’t have to have chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or anything. It was a very scary time, but who knows what would have happened if I’d delayed having the test.

“Since then, I have been regularly monitored, and had many tests and colposcopies, and although they can be a bit uncomfortable, I would not think twice about having them done again.

“I know lots of women who have put off having screening, and sadly, some who have been diagnosed with advanced cervical cancer after putting it off for years.

“It is so important women go for these check-ups or do the home-testing kit if invited. It doesn’t take very long and if you’re worried or have questions, the staff are excellent and will talk to you and help answer any fears you’ve got.”

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