SCHOOL OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE
Policy for New and Expectant mothers, Maternity leave, Maternity
support leave and Adoption Leave
If you are pregnant or a new mother, it is extremely important from a health and
safety point of view that students inform their Course Director or Cohort Leader if
they are pregnant. The university recognises the importance of its obligations to
comply with regulatory and legal requirements and has developed this policy to guide
staff and students.
This policy has been developed with reference to:
Guidance provided by the Department of Health, ‘The NHS Bursary Scheme New
Rules’ second Edition, version 1, (for students who started their course on or after 1st
September 2012) and The NHS Bursary Scheme Old Rules Fourteenth Edition (for
students who started their course before the 1st September 2012) published in June
2013.
Ordinary Statutory Paternity pay and leave: Employer guide (2013)
https://www.gov.uk/employers-paternity-pay-leave/entitlement
Please Note:
Students and prospective students should not rely on the current NHS Bursary rules
and allowances when planning for subsequent academic years as these may be
subject to review in the future and as a result may be liable to change.
Further information about the NHS Bursary will be posted on the Student Grant Unit
web site http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/students as and when it is made available.
Students are advised to check the web site on a regular basis.
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HSC Policy for Maternity leave, Maternity support, and Adoption leave – January 2015
General Statement
This policy has been agreed to ensure that the university supports new and
expectant mothers and fathers whilst complying with relevant
legislation/guidance and is in-line with the guidelines for the NHS Bursary
scheme maternity award.
In many workplaces there are risks which may affect the health and safety of
new and expectant mothers and of their baby. Students are expected to
attend placements within a variety of settings where there are risks which
may affect the health and safety of new and expectant mothers and that of
their baby. Working conditions generally considered acceptable may no
longer be so during pregnancy or when breast feeding. Employers are legally
required to protect the health and safety of new and expectant mothers which
also applies to healthcare students.
Prospective Students
Due to the early selection of students for courses, some prospective students
may become pregnant before the start of the course. At the earliest stage, the
prospective student should contact the university admissions department.
Arrangements must be made for the necessary discussions to take place as
to the suitability of starting the course of study or deferring their place on the
course until after the arrival of their child. If a student requires immunisations
prior to their practice placements these may be contra indicated in pregnancy
and so may delay a student commencing practice placements.
New or Expectant mothers
Definition:
The phrase ‘new or expectant mother’ means a woman who:a) is pregnant
b) has given birth in the last six months
c) has delivered a stillborn child after 24 weeks of pregnancy
d) is breastfeeding.
The Students’ Responsibility:
Once the course is commenced, it is the student’s responsibility to inform the
university as early as possible that she is a new or expectant mother for the
student and her child’s health and safety. Students are advised that they
should not delay in informing the University of their pregnancy. This
notification must be in writing. The student is also required to complete the
School Maternity Leave Application Form for Pre-Registration Students
available here on My LSBU.
The University or practice environment is not required to take any actions,
other than those resulting from general risk assessments, in respect of new or
expectant mothers who choose not to, or fail to, inform the University of their
condition. In the case of a student who is pregnant, the university will ask for
a certificate from the student’s GP or midwife stating that she is pregnant and
the expected date of delivery. The student should provide a MAT B1 which
will be issued by the midwife or GP at/following 21 weeks pregnancy. This
should be given to the university at least 21 days before the start of the
Statutory Maternity Pay.
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HSC Policy for Maternity leave, Maternity support, and Adoption leave – January 2015
Seconded students must also ensure that they contact their Trust line
manager in order that Trust procedures are complied with.
If they wish and are healthy the student may continue in practice until the
Sunday before the EDD.
The Universities Responsibility:
1. As soon as the university is formally aware that a student is a new or
expectant mother, the practice environment should be informed in writing that
the student is pregnant so they can ensure a risk assessment is undertaken.
The course director should also complete the School Maternity Leave
Application Form for Pre-registration Students available here on My LSBU
and arrange a risk assessment in practice. The School's Occupational Health
provider will only see students if they have pregnancy related health risks.
2. Students will be expected to follow the Trust/practice environment’s New and
Expectant Mothers policy. This will include a placement risk assessment
completed by the Trust/practice environment. The student may remain in
practice placement while the risk assessment is done unless there is
perceived to be a risk to her and her child.
3. If a student is in University and commencing a practice learning placement a
risk assessment should be undertaken prior to the placement using the
placement providers usual pregnancy risk assessment tool. The risk
assessment will normally take into consideration:
 Moving and carrying
 Standing for long periods
 Exposure to infectious diseases
 Work- related stress
 Workstation and posture
 Threat of violence in the workplace
 Exposure to radioactive material
 Working long hours (including night shifts)
Additional rest breaks maybe considered as part of the risk assessment for
the student. The risk assessment may vary during the latter stages of
pregnancy.
If, following a risk assessment, the student requires additional rest periods
whilst in practice; this will become part of the practice hours and will not have
to be made up.
For Radiography students
4. Risk assessment will be undertaken by the Radiation Protection Supervisor
(RPS) who will comply with the required process set out in the LSBU Local
Rules for Radiation Protection (version 3 updated March 10). Radiography
students should inform the RPS of their pregnancy in writing following this a
radiation exposure risk assessment during pregnancy will occur.
5.
Action will be taken to restrict a dose to the foetus to less than 1mSv for the
remainder of a student’s pregnancy.
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HSC Policy for Maternity leave, Maternity support, and Adoption leave – January 2015
6. The RPS at London South Bank University will inform the RPS at the clinical
site the student attends, once pregnancy has been declared.
7. Students who declare themselves pregnant will not normally be expected to
be on clinical placement in a designated contaminated area or work with
unsealed radioactive materials. These students may be restricted from being
on clinical placement in mobile radiography vans, operating theatres and
angiography rooms.
For Operating Department Practitioner students
8. Operating Department Practitioner students should discuss an individual
training plan with the course director who will arrange a risk assessment of
their practice learning placement.
For all students
9. The outcome of the risk assessments will be communicated to the relevant
leads in the practice environment and LSBU in order to safeguard the
student, unborn child, staff and patients.
10. Individual risk assessments may mean that students do not remain in practice
placement in some specific areas. Course directors will discuss this with
students and agree an individual plan of training where appropriate.
11. An individual plan of training will be prepared for pregnant students, taking
into account the point at which they take maternity leave, their course
assignments and practice placements. This will be the responsibility of the
Course Director in collaboration with the Placement Co-ordinator.
12. If the student has a maternity related illness at any time during the pregnancy
which affects their practice placement, advice will be sought from the School’s
Occupational Health provider.
13. It is for the student and the university to discuss and agree when the period of
authorised maternity absence should begin taking into account:
 The expectant mother and baby’s health and wellbeing
 The point in the course when it would be the best time to begin the
break
 The student’s ability to undertake and any potential risks relating to
practice placements until the expected date of arrival
14. Students who are in practice whilst pregnant are entitled to attend antenatal
care/appointments on the advice of a GP, midwife or health visitor. Whilst this
will be facilitated, the time lost must be made up to ensure that the
professional body practice hours requirements for the training programme are
met. The student will be expected to provide evidence of antenatal
care/appointments (other than the first appointment) such as an appointment
card.
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HSC Policy for Maternity leave, Maternity support, and Adoption leave – January 2015
Payments during Maternity Leave for NHS bursary students
1. The maternity award does not normally exceed 45 weeks other than in
exceptional circumstances. It is for the university to decide if the maternity
award should be extended. The university will need to consider each case
individually.
2. Students can expect to receive normal monthly bursary payments, including
any dependant’s allowances and may also include the childcare allowance
element of the NHS Bursary.
3. Seconded and European Union nationals in receipt of ‘fees only’ award are
not eligible for maternity bursary payments.
4. As soon as possible following the birth of her baby the student should contact
the Student Grants Unit informing them of the birth as the student may be
entitled to additional allowances. Applications can be downloaded from the
SGU website www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/students
Returning from Maternity Leave
1. It is the student’s responsibility to maintain contact with the university
following the birth of her child. Students may return to their course 2 weeks
following the birth of their child but are encouraged to take longer than this
period. When returning to their course their fitness to return by letter from
their GP or Midwife will need to provided.
2. The student’s return date to the programme will be agreed in discussion with
the Course Director and Placement Coordinator, as the date for return maybe
dependent on placement capacity.
3. The student must inform the Course Director of their intention to return to the
programme at least 6 weeks prior to their expected return. Course directors
will complete a Maternity Resumption of Studies Application Form available
here on My LSBU.
4. The Occupational Health provider should not normally need to see a student
prior to returning to the programme unless the student has experienced
specific pregnancy related health issues.
5. Students who return to the programme and are breast feeding while they are
in practice need to provide written notification of this fact, before they resume
the course, so that a specific risk assessment can be undertaken.
6. If students who are learning in the university campus are breastfeeding
requiring access to breastfeeding/expressing facilities they should contact the
Student Life Centre who will arrange for them to have access to first aid
rooms as appropriate in one of the 3 buildings on the Southwark campus with
these facilities. Students at the Havering campus should contact Cathy Rowe
Campus Office manager on 0208 715 5995.
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HSC Policy for Maternity leave, Maternity support, and Adoption leave – January 2015
7. Radiography students should inform the RPS in writing that they are breast
feeding and will not normally be expected to be on clinical placement in a
designated contaminated area or work with unsealed radioactive materials.
8. The date of the student’s return to their course will be dependent on the stage
of the training programme that the student will need to re-join and placement
availability. Students should be aware that they may not be able to re-join
their previous cohort. This will be discussed fully with the student by the
Course Director in liaison with the Placement Co-ordinator. Many of the
professional groups have a period within which their course must be
completed and consideration must be given to this when negotiating return
dates.
9. All maternity leave forms will be kept securely in the student’s personal file
located with the course administrator or in the placement office, as applicable.
Maternity Support leave and Adoption Leave
1. To qualify for maternity support leave or adoption leave you must:



Be taking leave to care for the newborn child and mother, and
have, or expect to have, responsibility for the upbringing of the child, and
are the spouse, civil partner or partner of the child’s mother or is the
biological or adoptive father or nominated carer of the child.
2. To request maternity support leave or adoption leave, you must inform your
Course Director:
 when the baby is due or when the child is expected to be placed with you for
adoption
 when you want the leave to start
Your request should be made using the School Maternity Support Leave Application
Form available here on My LSBU. This should be submitted:
 at least 15 weeks before the beginning of the week when the baby's due
 or within seven days of being told by the adoption agency that you have
been matched with a child
1. You may request up to two weeks maternity support leave. One week will
normally be taken immediately after the birth or the placement of the child with
you. The second week may be taken at a later date negotiated with the Course
Director.
2. Your maternity support leave can start on any day of the week but not before the
baby is born. Leave must finish within 56 days of the birth (or due date if the baby
is early)
3. If your partner has a multiple birth, you are only allowed one period of maternity
support leave.
4. Maternity support leave will be considered in relation to the curriculum. Where it
is requested during clinical placement, students may be required to make up the
clinical time missed if they are not able to achieve all clinical competencies as a
result.
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HSC Policy for Maternity leave, Maternity support, and Adoption leave – January 2015