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Annual leave Guidance

Our electronic systems show that some of our staff have not yet taken their Wellbeing entitlement. This entitlement needs to be taken by 31st March 2024 as it can't be carried forward into the new financial year.

If you have an outstanding Wellbeing entitlement, please could we encourage you to prioritise using it before 31st March 2024. We understand and appreciate the pressures that our staff and services are under which is why using this time is important. Your manager will work with you to enable you to use your Wellbeing Day.

Bank Holiday entitlements are now recorded as an entitlement in their own right rather than being rolled up in with the annual leave entitlements.

Bank Holiday entitlements need to be taken in full before 31st March 2024, as this leave cannot be carried forward into the new financial year (except for Bank Holiday days accrued during maternity / long term parental or adoption leave). As with Wellbeing leave above, please could you prioritise using this leave entitlement.

The Trust’s Annual Leave (A/L) Carry Forward (C/F) e-forms will be made available on 22nd April 2024 for managers to confirm outstanding A/L balances for their staff at 31st March 2024.

Communications were shared in October 2023 to advise staff of this year’s A/L C/F arrangements.

In short, a maximum of up to two days carry forward (pro-rated for part time staff) will be allowed.  In exceptional circumstances (shown below), staff may be able to carry forward more than the allowable maximum of 2 days leave.

Exceptional circumstances where an employee:

  • Has been off on maternity / long term shared parental / adoption leave – you will be able to carry forward your full outstanding A/L balance, including Bank holidays into the new financial year.
  • Has been off on sick leave – if you are on long term sick and continue to be off sick at 31st March 2023, your contractual A/L entitlement will be converted to the statutory A/L entitlement of 20 days.  Managers will deduct from this, any A/L that you have taken within the leave year.  If there is a balance of A/L outstanding, then this can be carried forward into the new financial year.
  • Has requested their leave and is prevented from taking the full allowance of annual leave before the end of the leave year because of exceptional service needs. The circumstances will need to be documented, and staff may with the approval of the Managing Director for their Care Group or Directors of Corporate Services, carry over up to a maximum of 5 days annual leave (pro-rata) from the current leave year into 2024/2025.

Colleagues who foresee practical issues in taking their leave in the remainder of this financial year are encouraged to speak to their local leaders in supervision or one-to-ones in the first instance.

Your manager will work with you to enable you to use any outstanding leave entitlements.

If you would like to purchase additional annual leave for the forthcoming or current annual leave year please read the SOP and download the application form available on the Intranet. Once signed, your completed form should be emailed to payrollservices@mpft.nhs.uk

Forms received by 31st March each year will be actioned in April for the new leave year with deductions from pay spread between April and March.

Any forms received after 31st March and up to 30th September will be actioned on receipt with the cost being spread over the remaining months of the financial year.