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COVID-19 Staff FAQs: Pay, annual leave and leave types

Last updated: 02 July 2020

This is a fast moving situation and we will try to keep this page as up-to-date as possible.
Please continue to check national guidance on the COVID-19 pandemic.

If your question is not answered below, and you are a member of staff, please speak to your line manager or email covidquestions@ouh.nhs.uk

If your question is about an OUH HR matter that isn't addressed here, please discuss this initially with your line manager who can then raise it with the HR consultant for your Division.

Some links are to documents on the OUH internal staff intranet: if you are a staff member and cannot access the intranet, please email covidquestions@ouh.nhs.uk and we will send you the document you need.

Please remember guidance is likely to change rapidly, so check back to see if you have the most up-to-date version of a document.

Pay, annual leave and leave types FAQs

I have annual leave booked in the next month. Will I still be allowed to take it?: Yes.
I have annual leave booked in the next month, and wish to cancel it. Can I?: Please discuss this with your line manager.
I am self-isolating because I have followed national guidance as I have symptoms or have been advised to by PHE, NHS 111 or another medical professional. Will I be paid for this?: Yes, you will. If you self-isolate because you have symptoms or on medical advice from Occupational Health, Public Health England, or NHS 111, you should call FirstCare and follow local procedures for reporting absence.

Advice about quarantine after returning from abroad is now on the 'Self-isolation' page.
I have no carer's leave left and have to take time off to look after a dependent. Will I be paid?: You should discuss your individual circumstances with your line manager. There are flexibilities available in this situation, which include using annual leave, working from home, or taking time owed in lieu. We recognise that COVID-19 has brought some new challenges, and we are currently reviewing our Special Leave Policy. We will share this with you when it's finalised.
I’m already in a sickness absence management process and I'm afraid that if I go off sick because of COVID-19 I will be facing next formal steps. Will my absence be counted towards the triggers?: If your absence is COVID-19 related (isolation or sickness), then it will not trigger the sickness absence process. We will be reviewing our sickness absence policy as the situation evolves.
My child's school has now had to close due to lack of teachers. What should I do?: If your school is closed, then please contact your local authority, who will seek to redirect you to a local school in your area that your child, or children, can attend. The Trust can provide you with a letter to demonstrate your eligibility as a key worker if this is needed (your Trust ID badge may be enough).

If childcare issues are related to your normal working hours, there may be some flexibility to work outside of contracted hours - please speak to your manager to explore this option, for example, working evenings or weekends. Alternatively you may be able to agree a temporary reduction in your paid hours or you may prefer to take annual leave or a period of unpaid leave to care for your child until the school re-opens.
How will NHSP staff be paid if they are unable to work due to COVID-19?: NHSP can pay their staff via the Department of Health and Social Care if they need to self-isolate. There is a process which the workers need to follow which is all part of the induction information provided by NHSP.

This is only applicable to bank workers, and pre-booked shifts.

It doesn't apply to shifts added on retrospectively (i.e. after the shift has or hasn't been worked), and agency workers.