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Written by: a Medico-Legal Expert
Reviewed by a Medico-Legal Expert
Last Reviewed:
July 2023
Written by: a Medico-Legal Expert
Reviewed by a Medico-Legal Expert
Last Reviewed:
July 2023
Calculating annual leave when working compressed hours can be confusing, particularly for NHS consultants. This guide explains how compressed hours annual leave can be calculated, including how to account for different working patterns, job plans and public holidays.
There are many different ways to calculate leave in these circumstances. MDS would expect whatever method is used by your employer that it is a) agreed via the Local Negotiating Committee and b) applied consistently across the organisation.
An employer has to be careful that they are not allocating more annual leave to a Consultant who works full hours over a 3 day week (for example) when compared to a colleague who spreads their commitment over 5 days a week.
If a Consultant only works 3 days a week, they will only take 3 days of leave to have a full week off, meaning they are away from the hospital for over 10 weeks. The colleague who works 5 days a week will only be away for 6 weeks.
There are two common options to calculate annual leave:
Please note that any calculation must be based on your specific work commitment.
Dr A
Dr A works 10PAs per week between Monday – Friday with no on call commitment.
Dr A’s leave entitlement is 6 weeks annual leave + 10 public holidays.
The leave entitlement is converted to PAs:
To take a week’s leave Dr A would need to take 10PAs from the annual 80PA allowance.
Dr B
Dr B works 9.5 PAs between Monday – Thursday with 0.5 PAs per week for working 1:8 weekends with no on-call commitment
Dr B’s leave entitlement is 6 weeks annual leave + 10 public holidays.
The leave entitlement is converted to PAs:
To take a week’s leave you would calculate how many PAs are due to be working on the week leave is required taking into account whether there is a working weekend with the period requested. The exact figure would then need to be deducted from the annual leave allowance.
Dr C
Dr C works 4 week cycle of 40 PAs which includes 8PAs from Tuesday – Friday each week; an average of one PA per week for weekend working and an average of one PA per week for unpredictable on-call (which might be during the week or at the weekend)
The leave entitlement is converted to PAs:
To take a week’s leave you would calculate the actual number of PAs that will be worked on the week leave is required. The exact figure would then need to be deducted from the annual leave allowance.
Adjust the total number of days of annual leave to reflect the length of the working week. If you work 10PAs a week over Tuesday – Friday with no on-call or weekend working, then your annual leave allowance could be calculated accordingly e.g. 4 days x 6 weeks = 24 days per year.
You would then have to use 4 days annual leave to be absent from the hospital for one week, assuming it did not coincide with a weekend of work.
This method is less suitable when more complicated working patterns are involved.
Find yourself in a similar situation? Contact MDS as soon as possible to discuss your situation, our team will support you in making the best decision for you and your patients. Call our office on 0300 30 32 442 or email or case managers at [email protected] mentioning your membership number.
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