NHS Carer's Leave: How Many Days Can You Take?

Caring for a parent, partner, child with additional needs or another relative alongside shift work is common in the NHS, and the rules are spread across the law, the national Handbook and each trust's own policy. This guide pulls them into one place, tells you what the Handbook does and does not promise, and is clear about where the answer is "it depends on your trust". It is general information, not legal or HR advice.

Which route fits your situation

Statutory carer's leave: one week, unpaid, from day one

Statutory carer's leave is a legal right for employees who provide or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need. The terms below are from GOV.UK.

• ✓ Who you can care for: a dependant with a physical or mental illness or injury expected to need care for more than 3 months, a disability under the Equality Act 2010, or care needs because of old age. GOV.UK says the dependant does not have to be a relative.
• ✓ How much: up to one week of leave every 12 months. A week is your usual working time across a week. Multiple dependants share the same weekly allowance.
• ✓ Notice: at least 3 days for half a day or a day, and at least twice as long as the leave for longer requests. No notice requirement in an emergency.
• ✓ Your employer cannot refuse, but may postpone where the absence would cause serious disruption, confirming in writing within 7 days with an alternative date within one month.
• ✓ Your employment rights, such as holidays and returning to your job, are protected during the leave.

Worked example. A nurse on three 12.5-hour shifts a week looks after a parent with dementia. Her statutory week of carer's leave is a week of her usual work, so about 37.5 hours, which could be three long shifts or smaller blocks. To take one week she should give at least two weeks' notice. To take one shift she should give at least three days' notice. Because it is unpaid, she should compare it with using annual leave for the same days, which is paid, and ask whether her trust's carer's policy provides any paid days on top.

Time off for dependants: emergencies

The older right is a reasonable amount of time off to deal with an emergency involving a dependant. Per GOV.UK:

• • A dependant could be a spouse, partner, child, grandchild, parent, or someone who depends on you for care.
• • There is no set amount of time, because it depends on the situation, and no limit on how often it can be used, although your employer may discuss concerns if it affects work.
• • You cannot use it for something you knew about in advance. GOV.UK gives the example of taking a child to a planned hospital appointment.
• • Your employer may pay you but does not have to. Pay depends on your contract and policies.
• • Tell your employer as soon as possible how much time you will need.

What the NHS Handbook says: the carer's policy

Section 33 of the Handbook (England, Wales and Northern Ireland text; Scotland has its own version) is about balancing work and personal life. The carer's provisions are in paras 33.23 to 33.32:

• ✓ Every employer must have a carer's policy (para 33.23), covering both child and dependant care (para 33.24).
• ✓ Who is covered: childcare for children up to 14, and up to 18 for a child with disabilities (para 33.25), and dependant care for adults and young people over 14 where there is substantial and regular care (para 33.26). That includes older relatives, a civil partner, spouse or partner, and those who need hospital or care appointments (para 33.27).
• ✓ The policy should cover any paid and unpaid leave entitlements, taking account of the day-one statutory right to unpaid leave, working patterns including shifts, support for recruitment and retention, equality of access, eligibility, and the range of options such as workplace nurseries, term-time contracts, homeworking and compressed hours (para 33.28).
• ✓ Appeal: where a decision is taken not to offer a form of support, employees have the right to appeal (para 33.29).
• ✓ Monitoring: applications and outcomes are monitored annually with staff representatives and records kept for at least a year (paras 33.30 to 33.32).

Special leave: leave for domestic reasons

"Special leave" is the NHS term for leave beyond the standard entitlements. Para 19.2 of the Handbook lists special leave among the terms agreed locally in partnership with staff representatives. Section 33 sets principles for it:

• • Scope (para 33.42): a range of needs from domestic emergencies through to bereavement and compassionate leave. It should cover all employees (para 33.43).
• • Pay (para 33.44): payment may be made by local agreement, but the expectation is that relatively short periods of leave for emergencies will be paid.
• • If the need continues (para 33.45): other options may be considered, such as a career break.
• • Declined requests (paras 33.46 and 33.47): you should be entitled to a written explanation, and appeals go through the grievance procedure.
• • Fairness (para 33.33): leave arrangements should be based on equity of access and communication, and ensure no detriment for pay progression.
• • Records (para 33.52): applications and outcomes should be recorded and reviewed annually, so that access is equitable.

In Scotland, the Handbook's version of Section 33 says leave arrangements should cover parental responsibilities, carer's leave, time off for dependants, personal and family reasons, civic duties, domestic crisis or emergencies such as fire or flooding, being the victim of crime and bereavement. Whichever nation you work in, your trust's policy is what tells you how many days, and what pay, apply.

Parental leave in the Handbook

If you are caring for a child, the Handbook also describes parental leave in Section 33 (paras 33.34 to 33.39). It says parental leave should be a separate provision from maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave, should provide a non-transferable individual right to at least 18 weeks' leave, is normally unpaid but may be paid by local agreement, and should apply to employees with nominated caring responsibility for a child under 18. During parental leave you retain contractual rights except remuneration, you should return to the same job, and periods of parental leave should be regarded as continuous service. Notice periods should not be unnecessarily lengthy, and employers should only postpone leave in exceptional circumstances and give written reasons. Check your trust's policy for the exact scheme.

Beyond leave: flexible working and career breaks

Leave is for short needs. For ongoing caring, the other levers are often more useful:

• ✓ Flexible working: NHS employees covered by Section 33 have a contractual right to request flexible working from day one of employment, with no limit on the number of requests in 12 months and regardless of the reason (paras 33.5 and 33.6). Options include part-time, compressed hours, job share and self-rostering (para 33.10). Employees have the right to be represented by a union representative at an appeal (para 33.17). See our flexible working guide.
• ✓ Career break: Section 34 of the Handbook covers employment breaks. Our career break guide explains how they work and what happens to continuous service and pension.
• ✓ Annual leave and bank holidays: use the annual leave calculator to see what you have, and carry-over rules in your trust's policy.
• ✓ Rota planning: if you move to a different pattern, the rota take-home calculator shows what it means for your pay.

Pay, pension and annual leave

• • Unpaid time means no pay for that time. It also reduces pensionable pay for that period. Ask payroll and NHS Pensions what it does to your contributions and benefits before you agree to a long unpaid period.
• • Annual leave: statutory carer's leave protects your employment rights during the leave, including holidays, per GOV.UK. Whether leave accrues during longer unpaid special leave or a career break depends on your policy, so ask.
• • Pay progression: para 33.33 says special leave arrangements should ensure no detriment for pay progression, but check how your trust applies it.
• • Sick pay and absence: caring leave is not sickness, and should not count towards sickness triggers. Ask HR to record it correctly. See NHS sick pay explained for how sickness is treated.

How to ask, step by step

• ✓ Find your trust's carer's policy and special leave policy (intranet, HR, or ask your union rep). Note any paid days.
• ✓ Decide whether your need is an emergency, a planned week, or ongoing, using the table at the top.
• ✓ For statutory carer's leave, give the notice described above. You do not need to give evidence of the care need, but a short note saying who you are caring for and what the long-term need is will help your manager plan.
• ✓ Put the request in writing, with the dates, and ask for a written reply.
• ✓ If it is postponed, check the employer has confirmed in writing within 7 days and offered a new date within one month.
• ✓ If a special leave request is refused, ask for the written explanation (para 33.46) and use the grievance procedure if you need to appeal (para 33.47).
• ✓ If you are a union member, ask your representative for support.

Related guides

This page is general information, correct to the best of our knowledge as of October 2026, and is not legal or HR advice. Statutory rules are from GOV.UK carer's leave and GOV.UK time off for dependants. Trust policies apply the Handbook locally and employment law can change. FrontlinePay is independent and is not affiliated with the NHS or GOV.UK.