Leaving the NHS

When you leave the NHS you keep your NHS Pension Scheme benefits, your professional registration (as long as you keep paying the fee and meet the regulator’s rules) and the record of your NHS service. If you come back to an Agenda for Change employer later, previous NHS service can count again for annual leave and sick pay, though how a break is treated depends on its length and the employer’s policy. What stops is your salary, any NHS-only benefits, and access to staff discounts and schemes tied to your employment.

Your NHS Pension

Your built-up pension stays yours. If you leave before retirement and have at least the qualifying service the scheme requires, your benefits are kept as a deferred pension. They are revalued while deferred and paid from your normal pension age in the section you belong to. If you leave with very short service, you may be offered a refund of contributions instead.

If you are old enough to take your pension when you leave, you can apply to the NHS Business Services Authority. Many NHS staff retire and then return to bank or part-time work; the scheme has rules about returning to work after taking your pension, including in some cases a break before going back. Check those rules before you leave, not after.

If your new employer offers a different pension, you will have two sets of benefits. You can usually leave your NHS benefits where they are. Transferring them to another scheme is sometimes possible but can mean giving up valuable guarantees. Whether to transfer is a decision to make with a regulated financial adviser. The guide to the NHS Pension Scheme explains the sections and how benefits build up.

Download or note your latest Total Reward Statement before you leave, because access through your employer’s systems will end.

Registration

If you are a nurse, midwife, nursing associate or allied health professional, registration is with the regulator (the NMC or the HCPC), not with the NHS. You can stay registered while working elsewhere, as long as you pay the annual fee and meet the revalidation or renewal requirements. For NMC revalidation that includes practice hours, which can be met in non-NHS roles that use your registration, such as private healthcare, agency or bank work, or some education and research roles. The NMC revalidation guide explains the requirements.

If you let registration lapse, getting back on the register later may mean a return to practice course or a test of competence.

Final pay and paperwork

Your final salary should include any untaken annual leave, paid at your normal rate. If you have taken more leave than you have earned, the employer can deduct it if your contract allows. Check your final payslip against your leave records.

You will receive a P45 showing your pay and tax to date. Give it to your next employer so they can use the right tax code. If you do not have a new job straight away, you may be due a tax refund later in the year; HMRC can work this out through your personal tax account.

Student loan repayments, salary sacrifice schemes (such as lease cars, cycle to work or childcare vouchers) and any outstanding advances or course fees you agreed to repay may also be settled from your final pay. Lease car schemes can have early termination charges, so read the agreement.

Notice

Your contract sets your notice period. NHS contracts commonly have longer notice for higher bands, and it is usually more than the legal minimum of one week. You can ask to leave early, but the employer does not have to agree. Resign in writing, give your end date and keep a copy. The guide to notice periods covers the rules.

Coming back later

If you return to an NHS employer on Agenda for Change terms, your previous NHS service can count towards annual leave and sick pay. For full-time staff in England, leave rises from 27 days plus 8 public holidays on appointment, to 29 days after five years’ service and 33 days after ten. Sick pay rises to six months’ full pay and six months’ half pay after five years.

Breaks in service are handled under the NHS terms and conditions handbook, and some types of break (such as caring responsibilities or working abroad) can be treated more favourably than others. Keep your old payslips, contracts and P60s, and ask your new employer’s HR team to confirm in writing what service they recognise. You will usually start at the entry point of your band unless the employer agrees to recognise your experience.

Staying connected through bank work

Many people leave a substantive post but stay on their trust’s staff bank, picking up shifts when it suits them. Bank work keeps your skills and practice hours current, and if you are on the NHS Pension Scheme it can count as pensionable pay. The guide to NHS bank work explains how it works.

Before your last day

A short list:

1. Note your pension details and download your Total Reward Statement.
2. Check your final pay covers untaken leave.
3. Return your ID badge, smartcard and any equipment.
4. Ask for a reference contact for future applications.
5. Update your professional regulator with your new contact details.
6. Join the staff bank if you want to keep a foot in the door.