Last Updated on 26/03/2025
Absence reporting email address: lscft-absence-recording@lancaster.ac.uk
(this inbox is managed by a small duty team made up of the admin team and clinical tutors who check the inbox at the start of and during the working day)
Annual leave email address: annualleave-nhs@lancaster.ac.uk
Reasons for absence
Absence is recorded in the following four categories:
- Annual leave
- Sickness absence
- Special leave – includes carer/compassionate leave, parental leave etc – please see LSCFT Managing Attendance Policy for further details
Attendance at teaching
Trainees are full-time employees and are expected to act as adult learners. As such they are expected to attend almost all teaching, and must never be absent from teaching without taking leave. As the DClinPsy programme includes teaching that spans most of the year, trainees will occasionally need to book annual leave on a teaching day as part of a longer period of leave. There is a cap on the maximum amount of annual leave on teaching days that trainees are permitted to take. The maximum number of days bookable are as follows:
Annual leave on teaching days allowance table:
| Time period – full time trainees | Maximum amount of annual leave that can be taken from teaching | Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Sept – 31st March
(year 1 trainees) |
FT 4 days | 1 day per week after induction | No teaching in Wellbeing week or Christmas break |
| 1st April – 31st March
(year 1-2) |
FT 6 days | 1 day per week | |
| 1st April – 31st March
(year 2-3) |
FT 6 days | 1 day per week | |
| 1st April – 31st August (FT final year trainees) | FT 2 days | Teaching one day per week April and May, once per fortnight until July | Little teaching scheduled in Aug in final year |
| TOTAL THAT CAN BE MISSED | 18 days |
| Time period – part time trainees | Maximum amount of annual
leave that can be taken from teaching |
Details | Notes |
| 1st Sept – 31st March
(year 1) |
PT 4 days | 1 day per week after induction | No teaching in Wellbeing week or Christmas break |
| 1st April – 31st March
(year 1-2) |
PT 6 days | Same teaching load as FT trainees (1 day / week) | |
| 1st April – 31st March
(year 2-3) |
PT 6 days | Same teaching load as FT trainees (1 day / week) | |
| 1st April – 31st March
(year 3-4) |
PT 2days | Teaching one day per week April and May, once per fortnight until July.
Sept – March only in for occasional teaching |
|
| 1st April – 31st December
(PT final year trainees) |
PT 1 day | Only in for occasional teaching | |
| TOTAL THAT CAN BE MISSED | 19 days |
Special leave, i.e. emergency/domestic leave; carer leave, and compassionate leave, is not included in this allowance due to the often-urgent nature of these requests. To request a teaching day as annual leave, trainees need to follow the Annual Leave procedure. It is not expected that trainees will book a teaching day as annual leave in isolation (i.e. the only day of annual leave in a week). In exceptional circumstances this may be necessary and must be requested from and approved by the trainee’s VTG Lead, or in their absence, the Clinical Director. Community engagement project, NHS induction, project block, and selections training days are not counted as teaching days.
In exceptional circumstances, trainees may sometimes be permitted to miss teaching to attend a research ethics committee or a CPD conference. No more than two teaching days can be missed each year for such reasons. In these circumstances, approval to miss teaching will be given by the trainee’s VTG Lead, or in their absence, the Clinical Director. Trainees are not permitted to miss teaching for routine placement or research activity.
To avoid poor attendance at teaching sessions the number of trainees permitted to take Annual Leave is restricted. Cohort 2021 onwards – 8 trainees per session. Trainees will be allowed to book leave on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. It is therefore important for trainees to apply for leave they wish to take on teaching days as early as possible. In certain circumstances, such as when there is a CPD event scheduled for a teaching day and more than that cohort’s allowance of trainees are interested in attending, teaching may be rescheduled to allow attendance at the event.
It is the trainee’s responsibility to check the teaching timetable when it is published to identify any days which may be problematic with regards to caring responsibilities.
If any teaching days are identified as likely to be problematic to attend, trainees are asked to raise and discuss with their clinical tutors as soon as possible and in advance of the day(s) as to how to best manage them. An option is taking annual leave as both Full and Part time trainees can request Annual Leave in hours from 1st April 2025.
It is important that any request for leave relating to a teaching day is made in advance and explicitly agreed before the teaching day. The trainee is responsible for organising any agreements. If a trainee is absent without an agreement being in place then the trainee could be considered to be in breach of their contract as technically they are working for less hours than they are being paid for.
Please note that if unable to attend teaching because of transport issues, the trainee must take the day as annual leave. It is not permissible to leave early or arrive late to teaching for reasons of transport convenience.
It is also important to note that even on teaching days trainees’ salaried work activity begins at 9.00am. Teaching times are flexible therefore trainees are expected to arrive and be ready for start times from 9am onwards. If meetings are requested by tutors between 9-9.30am on a teaching day, it is expected that trainees will attend. Persistent lateness on teaching days will lead to a concern form being submitted. If a trainee needs to leave teaching (or placement) early because of an urgent need (e.g. child becomes ill) then trainees can request carers leave at short notice. This request needs to be made via the absence inbox.
Attendance at anti-racism teaching for global majority trainees
In line with the programme’s ethos and values, we believe that as individuals and a community of professionals we have a responsibility to be open to learning and development; this is particularly pertinent to issues of racism, discrimination and inclusion. We are all at different stages of our learning and development in relation to these important areas, however it is essential we all engage in opportunities to learn from others and challenge ourselves. To this end, attendance at all teaching on anti-racism and inclusive practice on the Lancaster DClinPsy is expected. If you think there is a reason why you cannot attend any of these sessions, it will need to be discussed with your clinical tutor. For trainees who experience racism we understand that there may be very valid reasons as to why you do not want to attend teaching on racism or other topics of discrimination. We would encourage you to discuss with your clinical tutor or a staff member of the EDI Team, if that feels more appropriate, although there is no expectation to do so. If you are a trainee who experiences racism and do not feel able to attend a session on this topic, your clinical tutor will be able to authorise a study day. You do not need to book annual leave for this reason.
Study days
For full time trainees, one day each week is designated as study leave. For part time trainees on 0.7wte, half a day is designated each week to study. Study days are still working days, and as such trainees should be contactable and may be asked to meet with programme staff if necessary. To request a study day as annual leave, trainees need follow standard Annual Leave Procedure. Please note that study days cannot be taken in lieu.
Taking annual leave
How to apply for Annual Leave
- Subject of email must include AL [Cohort] [Name of requestor] e.g. AL 2021 Jones
- Complete the form below, and copy and paste this into the main body of your emails requesting approval:
| Trainee Forename | Surname | |||
| Cohort | ||||
| Date of Leave Requested | Time of absence | Number of Hours Requested | Activity missed (placement, learning, study) | |
| (please use a line per day requested – add additional rows as required) | ||||
- The trainee must stipulate what type of day it is on each date; Placement (PD), Study (SD) or teaching (TD).
- The Trainee emails their placement supervisor to ask for agreement on AL dates
- Replies to be actioned within 1 week of initial email. If no response is received, the trainee can chase for a reply.
- The Trainee receives agreement from supervisor, forwards email trail to Clinical tutor for their authorisation, copying in their Research Tutor for information.
- Clinical tutor replies within a week with authorisation or raises concerns. If no response comes from tutor, the trainee can chase for a reply. If Trainee receives an out of office before AL date request then forward request to the trainee’s VTG Lead, or in their absence, the Clinical Director.
- Trainee receives authorisation from Clinical tutor and forwards email trail with tutor approved emails, to AL inbox.
- Administration checks details, raises any concerns at that point, and proceeds to record dates.
- Trainee receives a confirmation email from AL that the request has been successful. This would be usually within 1 week however in peak times/holiday cover it may be longer.
Reclaiming leave lost due to sickness absence
Please follow the absence reporting processes set out in the relevant section below.
Carry over leave
The employing Trust normally expects that the full annual leave entitlement is taken within each year (financial year, April – March) and that no days are carried over. Only in exceptional circumstances and with the approval of the Associate Director for Psychological Professions can annual leave be carried over into the next year. Email leave requests to: annualleave-nhs@lancaster.ac.uk
Please be aware of the following when submitting your leave requests to this inbox:
- Leave cannot be taken unless it is approved by the programme regardless of whether it has been approved by your supervisor/tutor
- Requests will not be processed if the subject header does not contain correct details that include your Cohort and name.
Making a late request i.e. within 3 weeks of AL dates.
- Trainee sends an email to the absence inbox lscft-absence-recording@lancaster.ac.uk to gain approval. The following information MUST be provided in order to process the request:
- Date(s) being requested
- Scheduled activities on date(s) requested i.e. teaching (please state if mandatory), placement, study
- Reason for short notice leave request
- Cohort year
- Cc in Clinical Tutor, Research Tutor & Placement Supervisor
- The absence duty team will process your request and let you know whether your short notice leave request has been approved. Please be aware that approval is subject to any issues raised by the tutor pair and/or placement supervisor. If any issues are raised the approval will be revisited and could in some circumstances be withdrawn.
Please be aware that the absence inbox is processed at the start of the working day and towards the end of the working day only. To ensure a speedy response, please send any short notice leave requests by 9.30am where possible.
Length of Service
It is the trainee’s responsibility to update the programme, though the Annual Leave email, when they have reached 5 /10 yrs of service. The increase in AL allowance will commence the following AL year in April.
Bank Holidays
Full time and part time trainees have every Bank Holiday off and these are booked off automatically at the start of every AL year. Part time trainees are given their BH holiday in conjunction with their contracted hours, e.g. 0.7 contract is given 0.7 of the 7.5 hours of a BH allowance per BH. If a BH is a non-working day for the trainee then they will not have AL used to cover the day off. If it is a working day then 7.5hrs will be used to give the trainee the full BH off. Trainees cannot change their working pattern for a single week to use the BH as a day off. It is the trainee’s responsibility to inform AL of their working pattern at the start of each AL year to allow for their AL allowance to be calculated. Any changes to their working pattern must be communicated to AL via email as they could affect the trainee’s overall AL allowance.
Medical/Non-Medical Absences
As employees of Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCFT), all trainees are required to provide information about any time away from work activities during the working day (this includes teaching and study days). Time away from work which exceeds two hours will be recorded as a sickness absence episode or special leave depending on the circumstance.
Pre-planned medical appointments – please contact lscft-absence-recording@lancaster.ac.uk as soon as you know the date and time of your appointment so this can be logged. If this changes – please remember to let us know so we can log your new appointment time. If relevant you can ask for the appointment to be recorded as ‘disability related absence’ if part of a recognised condition.
Special leave
Special leave requests need to be made via lscft-absence-recording@lancaster.ac.uk. Please state the kind of special leave you are seeking and a reason. If you do not feel able to share your reason – please state this in your email and your clinical tutor will be asked to follow this up with you or your VTG Lead, or in their absence, the Clinical Director or their Deputy will be asked to follow up if your clinical tutor is on a non-working day. Please be aware that this may lead to a delay in being able to process your request. The absence duty team have delegated responsibility to process special leave requests not exceeding five days in a 12-month rolling time period. Any requests which exceed this must be approved by the Clinical Director or their Deputy which the duty team will seek on the trainee’s behalf.
Special leave is designed to be a compassionate, supportive and immediate response to an unexpected situation arising in an employee’s life. It can include the following (for the full list see the LSCFT staff leave policy at the bottom of this page)
- Carers leave – where there are unexpected breaks in care for someone you have caring responsibilities for to enable you to make arrangements for ongoing care as needed.
- Emergency leave – where an incident in your domestic life needs your urgent attention (burst pipe/break in/car breakdown/accident)
- Compassionate leave – where there is an unexpected event with a loved one; funeral of a family member/close friend
Leave to attend interviews
Trainees may attend interviews for NHS posts in work time (including teaching, placement and study) but must inform lscft-absence-recording@lancaster.ac.uk to book half a day of special leave. This is the maximum time allowed for an NHS interview. For non-NHS posts trainees must take annual leave to attend (this includes on study days).
Absence reporting procedures – Trust requirements
Any absences or time away from work over 30 minutes need to be reported to lscft-absence-recording@lancaster.ac.uk so it can be logged appropriately. Exceptions to this are approved annual leave days and any other approved leave arrangements (e.g. paternity or maternity leave).
Absences or time away from work up to two hours are logged with the reason given by the trainee (e.g. medical appointment/self-care reasons/ sickness episode towards end of the day). Absences or time away from work longer than two hours require formal logging as either a full sickness absence episode or special leave depending on the circumstance.
Disability Related Absence (for a pre-planned appointment related to a recognised condition) or Disability Related Sickness Absence (for a sickness episode or need to have time away from work due to a recognised condition) can be given as the reason and will be logged as such.
Procedure
Please contact lscft-absence-recording@lancaster.ac.uk by 9.30am to report an absence. If you become unwell during the day – please remember to contact lscft-absence-recording@lancaster.ac.uk. Your email will be processed at the end of the day when the duty person makes their final check on the absence inbox.
When contacting the absence inbox to report an absence please provide the following information:
- Reason for absence – please include details of symptoms e.g. sickness bug, cold, flu, covid positive, stress, MH related etc. If you do not want to disclose the details of your absence to the duty team due to the sensitive nature of it – please let the duty team know this and who is aware of the details i.e. clinical tutor/clinical director.
- Confirmation that you have contacted your placement supervisor and cancelled any appointments you have with university-based staff, or other appointments you have with other people.
- A contact telephone number for you in case we need to follow up/check anything with you
- Your cohort year e.g. 2021
Closing a sickness absence episode
When you are feeling well enough to return to work please contact lscft-absence-recording@lancaster.ac.uk to say you are back in work. Please do this by 9.30am on the morning of your return. Failure to do this means we cannot close your absence episode and may result in a reduction in pay if the absence is left open.
Please complete a self-certification form (at the bottom of this page) for the first seven calendar days of an absence period and attach to your return to work email.
If you are off for longer than seven days you will also need to submit a GP fit note to cover the time period you are off. Please note you need to do this prospectively not retrospectively (i.e. at the start of the extended absence period and not at the end). If you are having problems getting a fit note from your GP please keep the absence inbox informed of when you expect to receive the fit note. Once received send to lscft-absence-recording@lancaster.ac.uk so it can be logged.
When you have returned to work your clinical tutor will be asked to complete a ‘back to work interview’ with you (if your tutor is not available then another tutor in your VTG, will undertake the return to work interview with you). This is an opportunity to check in and see how you are doing following your return. It is also an opportunity to consider any adjustments to your work schedule as you return to ease you back into work if needed and/or whether it might be helpful to explore additional supports such as a referral to Occupational Health or to make you aware of any relevant support services offered by the trust.
Reclaiming annual leave lost to sickness absence
Please follow the absence reporting processes set out above. Retrospective applications cannot be accepted. Absence must reported in a timely manner as per the process set out above.
COVID-19
There is no longer a stipulation that you have to test if you have symptoms of covid. Staff who have any symptoms of a respiratory illness, and who have a high temp or don’t feel well enough to be in work are advised to stay at home until they no longer feel unwell. Staff aren’t required to test for COVID. If staff do have access to a test and test positive they should follow guidance for the general public issued by the UK Government.
Staff don’t have to test negative before returning to work, unless they are providing direct care to immunosuppressed patients.
Attendance management
LSCFT operate an active attendance management approach to support colleagues when they are experiencing a series of episodes of absence. More details can be found in the relevant LSCFT policies on the LSCFT staff intranet. The duty team will alert your clinical tutor if the number or length of your absences in a 12-month rolling period means the attendance management support processes need to be put into place or equally when you can be stepped down from them.
Other relevant documents:
Self certification form
Agenda for Change Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook
Annual leave request form – to be copied and pasted into approval chain and forwarded to AL inbox