The Employment Law team at Lodders explains the changes to neonatal care leave and pay recently confirmed by the government and what these will mean for employers.
Neonatal care leave and pay
Currently, many families across the UK are having to return to work while their babies are sick in hospital. To support these families, the government has announced that from 6 April 2025, working families with babies in neonatal care will be entitled to additional time off. Employees will not need a minimum period of qualifying service to be eligible as this right applies from day one of employment.
These new measures will apply to employees with a parental relationship with babies who are admitted into neonatal care up to 28 days old and who have a continuous stay in hospital of seven full days or longer. Eligible parents will be entitled to up to 12 weeks of leave on top of any existing leave, including maternity and paternity leave.
Alongside the leave entitlement, Statutory Neonatal Care Pay (NCP) will be available to those who have been employed for a minimum of 26 weeks prior to the leave request and satisfy certain other eligibility requirements.
Considerations for employers
UK employers should ensure they are prepared for the introduction of neonatal care leave and pay when it comes into force in April this year. It is important to review and update company policies to reflect these entitlements and to provide guidance and support to employees who may need to take neonatal leave.
Training HR professionals and managers to understand the new rules is also vital so they can establish clear processes for requesting leave and are able to handle these requests in a supportive manner. It is also important that payroll systems can accommodate NCP calculations for employees who meet the eligibility criteria.
Contact us
If you would like further advice or support in understanding the upcoming changes to neonatal care leave and pay, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the expert Employment Law team at Lodders today.
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