NHS Dismissal Letter: What It Must Say and What to Do Next

A dismissal letter is a stressful thing to read and easy to misread when you are in shock. This page is about the letter itself: what it should contain, what each part means for your next steps, and what to ask for if it falls short. For the wider picture of pay, pension, regulators and benefits, see our pillar guide on what happens after an NHS dismissal.

What the letter should say

ACAS's guidance on deciding a disciplinary outcome says the employer should inform you in writing, by letter or email, as soon as possible, and include the reasons for the decision, the date your contract ends, your notice period and your right to appeal. A well-drafted NHS letter will also usually refer to the outcome of the hearing and the evidence considered. Use this as a checklist:

Reading the key dates

Letters often contain several dates: the date of the hearing, the date of the letter, the date you receive it, the date the dismissal takes effect and the date the appeal must be lodged. They are not always the same, and they matter in different ways:

• Effective date of termination (EDT). Per ACAS, typically the last day of your notice period or, if you were dismissed without notice, the dismissal date. Time limits for tribunal claims run from it.
• Appeal deadline. Set by your trust's policy and usually counted from the date of the letter or the decision. Often measured in days.
• ACAS early conciliation deadline. For most claims arising on or after 1 October 2026, 6 months minus 1 day from the relevant date (before that date, 3 months minus 1 day), per ACAS. An internal appeal does not extend it.

Work your own deadline out with the free NHS Dismissal Guidance Advisor, which applies the right rule by dismissal date. Some other pages on the ACAS site still showed the older 3-month wording when we checked, so if your date is close to the edge, contact ACAS early and take advice.

Notice, pay in lieu and gross misconduct

• Dismissed with notice. You work, or are paid, through your notice period. The statutory minimum is one week if you have between one month and two years' service, then one extra week for each full year up to a maximum of 12 weeks, unless your contract gives you more.
• Payment in lieu of notice. The contract ends immediately and you are paid instead. Check the amount against your contract and what you would have earned.
• Summary dismissal (gross misconduct). ACAS says an employer can dismiss without notice for gross misconduct, in which case you leave immediately without notice pay. They must still pay unpaid wages, accrued holiday and expenses owed. If you think the conduct was not serious enough to justify no notice, that is a separate question, a possible wrongful dismissal claim, worth raising with your union.

See also NHS notice periods explained and our pillar guide for final pay, leave and your P45.

Written reasons

GOV.UK says that employees with two or more years' service can ask for the reasons for their dismissal in writing within 14 days, and that employees on statutory maternity leave are given the statement automatically. The qualifying period for some rights is changing with the Employment Rights Act 2025, so check gov.uk if you have less service. Even if you cannot rely on the statutory right, ask your employer to explain the decision in writing: your appeal will be stronger if you can point to precisely what the decision-maker relied on.

What to do in the first days

• • Read the letter twice and highlight the dates. Write the end date, appeal deadline and appeal recipient on a single page.
• • Contact your union representative the same day if you are a member. Many unions have strict internal deadlines for taking on a case.
• • Send the request email below if anything is missing, and keep proof of when it was sent.
• • Decide on the appeal quickly. You do not need to be certain you will succeed. Lodge the appeal within the deadline, with advice, and add detail later if the policy allows. See how to appeal an NHS dismissal.
• • Calculate your ACAS deadline and put the date in your diary. Contact ACAS before it if there is any chance you will bring a claim.
• • Check your final pay. Notice or pay in lieu, annual leave and any outstanding enhancements.
• • Do not sign a settlement agreement without advice. It can waive your right to a tribunal claim.
• • Ask whether any regulator or DBS referral has been made. See fitness to practise and NMC referral by an employer.
• • Look after yourself. A dismissal is a shock whatever the cause. Speak to your GP, your union or a trusted person.

A request email you can copy

Adapt this to your situation. Keep it short and neutral. It does not admit anything or argue the case; it just asks for the information you need. Copy your union representative before sending.

If you are not sure you will appeal, you can leave out the sentence about intending to appeal. Asking for information does not commit you to anything.

Things that should prompt a closer look

None of the following proves a dismissal was unfair, but each is worth raising with your union or ACAS:

• No reason given, or the reason differs from the allegation you responded to at the hearing.
• A dismissal with no investigation, no hearing or no chance to be accompanied. See the disciplinary process guide.
• The sanction seems out of line with how similar cases have been treated.
• You were not given the evidence before the hearing.
• The dismissal followed a grievance, a safety concern or a whistleblowing disclosure. See NHS whistleblowing rights.
• The dismissal relates to pregnancy, maternity, disability or another protected characteristic.
• A health condition was affecting your conduct or performance and no adjustments were considered. See the capability procedure guide.
• The letter and the process refer to different dates or procedures than those set out in your trust's policy.

For the difference between an unfair dismissal and a constructive dismissal, and how the six-month qualifying period from 1 January 2027 changes who can claim, see unfair vs constructive dismissal in the NHS and the Employment Rights Act 2025 guide.

Related guides

This page is general information about NHS dismissal letters, drawn from ACAS and GOV.UK guidance, correct to the best of our knowledge as of October 2026. Employment law is changing through 2026 and 2027. It is not legal, HR or employment advice and does not replace your trust's policy, your union's advice or specific legal advice. FrontlinePay is an independent site and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, ACAS, GOV.UK, any NHS trust, NHS England or any trade union.