Improved locum reimbursement for maternity & adoptive leave (england)
Press release 8 April 2003
New parents among family doctors received good news at the start of the financial year – locum reimbursement for GP principals on maternity and adoptive leave has been extended from 18 weeks to 26 weeks following representation from the BMA’s General Practitioners Committee (GPC).
For adoptive parents the news will be especially welcome as it applies to school age children as well as those adopted at a pre-school age. Up to now, if the child was of school age when adopted, the locum reimbursement only ran for three months.
Dr John Chisholm, chairman of the GPC, commented: “This is a much needed improvement to the SFA and reflects the benefits available to new parents in the general workforce. The GPC will continue to press for family-friendly measures that improve GPs’ working lives and demonstrate in a practical way how the NHS values its GPs.”
The Statement of Fees and Allowances (SFA) for GPs has been amended as of 6 April 2003 to allow:
- 26 weeks’ maternity leave locum reimbursement for GP principals (the allowance was previously 18 weeks)
- 26 weeks’ adoptive leave locum reimbursement for GP principals irrespective of the age of the child (the allowance was previously 18 weeks if the child was below school age and three months for school age children)
- claims to be submitted after the 4th, 12th and 26th weeks.
A practitioner in receipt of an allowance for an assistant, associate or salaried doctor may also be eligible to apply for payments under this scheme.
GP principals are already entitled to locum reimbursement for two week’s paternity leave. This was introduced in November 2001 following representations from the GPC.
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