Benefits & Perks

Benefits for working in the NHS and specifically in NHSE are detailed on your ESR rewards statement and on the NHSE Intranet.

This is a summary in Jan 2024.  Note some links may not work because the NHSE intranet is being updated.

Childcare Vouchers

Unfortunately, the Government closed the childcare vouchers scheme to new applicants on 4 October 2018. However, employees who were already paying in to the scheme can continue to receive the vouchers after this date.

The Government's Tax-Free Childcare scheme began in April 2017 and replaces the childcare vouchers scheme. The Tax-Free Childcare scheme allows parents to open an online account which they can use to pay for childcare, for every £8 paid in to the account the government will pay in £2.

Information on the ways parents can get help with the cost of childcare (including the tax-free scheme) can be found here: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/  

If you are a member of the existing scheme and have any questions, you should contact Recoveries@nhct.nhs.uk

Maternity, Parental, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave and Pay

You are entitled to the relevant leave and allowances as outlined in your terms and conditions of employment. You can access the relevant policy via the intranet:

NHS England - Maternity, Parental and Adoption Leave, Shared Parental Leave

Occupational Sick Pay

Your occupational sick pay is set in accordance with your terms and conditions of employment. Please check your employment contract for further information.

Access to Season Ticket Loan

We offer a Season Ticket Loan scheme to support you to spread the cost of your travelling over a defined period. Season ticket loans are designed to enable employees to purchase annual tickets thereby benefiting from reduced journey costs without having to make a large upfront financial outlay.

If you wish to apply for a Season Ticket Loan, please refer to the relevant policy via the intranet:

NHS England

NHS Vouchers/Discounts

Health Service Discounts is a website that offers you numerous ways of saving money on shopping, holidays and financial services: http://www.healthservicediscounts.com/

Eye Tests and Spectacles 

You may be eligible for financial assistance with eye tests and the purchase of spectacles. To find out more please refer to the Display Screen Equipment information page via the intranet.

Learning and Development opportunities

We have a number of Learning and Development opportunities available to staff across the organisation. These opportunities range from on-the-job learning and development to education and skills development off the job, formal and informal. To find out what opportunities may be available to you please refer to the HR & OD page via the intranet and access Development Offers and Interventions.  

Employment Break 

You are able to apply for an unpaid break from your employment, subject to approval. For further information please refer to the relevant policy via the intranet:

NHS England

Access to Flexible Working options (subject to business need) 

We recognise the importance of supporting our employees by offering a range of flexible working arrangements that enable staff to balance their working life and other priorities, including caring responsibilities, lifelong learning, charity work, leisure activities and other interests where appropriate. Please refer to the Joint Flexible Working Policy via the intranet.

Volunteering Opportunities

As employers NHS England and NHS Improvement are keen to maximise the personal and professional development of their employees and their contribution to society.  Our Volunteering Policy enables you to volunteer for up to one week per year in any organisation whose aims are consistent with those of NHS England and NHS Improvement. If you wish to apply or to find out more, please see the Employee Volunteering page via the intranet.

Employee Assistance Programme

The Employee Assistance Programme is a free, confidential telephone support service which you can access 24 hours a day 7 days a week that can support colleagues with a range of issues including relationships, stress, legal and financial concerns, bereavement and discrimination. The service is also available online providing an immediate source of information on a range of issues. 

Further details can be found on the Employee Assistance Programme page via the intranet.

Health Risk Assessment 

You can access a Health Risk Assessment tool which will provide you with a confidential personalised risk report based on your health conditions, family history and addressable lifestyle factors. To find out more please see the Health Risk Assessment page via the intranet:

Occupational Health

Health Management Ltd (HML) provide NHS England and NHS Improvement¿s occupational health (OH) service. Specialist OH advice for employees will need to be requested by line managers via the referral form. Further details on how to access the service can be found on the Occupational Health page via the intranet.

Cycle to Work Scheme

We've teamed up with Cycle Solutions to introduce the cycle to work scheme for NHS England and NHS Improvement employees. To find out how the scheme works and how to apply please see the Cycle to Work Scheme page via the intranet.

GymFlex

We have teamed up with GymFlex who offer the chance for you to get discounted membership rates from many of the UK's leading gym chains, leisure centres, hotel health clubs, independent gyms, boot camps and yoga studios. To find out how the scheme works and how to apply please see the GymFlex page via the intranet.

Staff Flu Vaccinations

Arranging your flu vaccination through work is now more flexible than ever before. You can now arrange to be vaccinated at a pharmacy of your choice and claim this back through our expenses system. For further details please access the Flu Jab Information page via the intranet.

Support for Carers Resources 

NHS England and NHS Improvement are committed to supporting working carers and have a number of resources in place to help manage care and work. For further details please refer to the Carers page via the intranet.