Returning to regular locum sessions after maternity, paternity or adoption leave can bring a new rhythm to both work and home. Your likely session pattern, childcare costs and available time may all look different from before leave.
The key distinction is simple. A period without a booked session or contract is an ordinary business risk. It needs cash planning and realistic expectations about how quickly work will return. Illness or injury that leaves you medically unable to work is a different risk. Income protection may be relevant to that second risk, but it is not a substitute for planning ordinary gaps between locum engagements. [4]
Use this checklist to prepare for a conversation with an adviser or insurer. It is not a clinical return to practice plan, and it does not decide whether a policy will be available or pay a claim.
Start with your realistic return pattern
Write down the first few months as you currently expect them to happen. Include the sessions you have agreed, sessions you may seek, annual leave, childcare arrangements and any periods you intend to keep clear. Keep planned time away separate from uncertainty about future contracts.
If you are returning to clinical practice after time away, the financial plan should sit alongside, not replace, your professional arrangements. NHS Health Careers says any doctor who has been out of practice should contact the GMC for advice on their own circumstances because the rules are complex and can change. [2]
Gather income evidence before you need it
Set up one current folder for the information that shows how you earned before leave and how you expect to work now. Depending on your arrangement, this could include engagement letters, invoices, remittance statements, payslips, accounts, tax returns and records of sessions worked.
A policy benefit is not automatically set by the busiest period before leave. Insurers may apply their own evidence requirements and limits when arranging cover or assessing a claim. Take the policy schedule and any insurer correspondence to a review, rather than relying on memory.
Decide what accessible savings must cover
List the costs that continue whether sessions are booked or not. This may include rent or mortgage payments, utilities, food, childcare, professional subscriptions, indemnity costs and minimum debt payments. Then identify what money is genuinely accessible and what it is intended to do.
Give ordinary contract gaps their own plan. Savings can provide a buffer while you seek work, rebuild a rota or wait for invoiced work to be paid. Do not assume an insurance policy will meet costs caused only by a quiet period or a contract ending.
This exercise also helps with a deferred period. A deferred period is the agreed wait between becoming unable to work and benefit payments beginning. MoneyHelper notes that income protection commonly has a waiting period and that longer waits can reduce premiums. [4] The right question is not which period sounds best in isolation, but whether your savings and any sick pay or other support can cover the period you choose.
Review existing cover before cancelling or replacing it
If you already have income protection, find the schedule, policy wording and most recent premium notice. Check the insured benefit, deferred period, benefit period, policy end date and the definition used to decide incapacity. Also look for exclusions, limitations and any conditions that apply to your occupation or work pattern.
Income protection can provide regular payments when illness or an accident prevents work, but the amount paid and the circumstances in which it pays are set by the policy. MoneyHelper explains that definitions of incapacity and exclusions can differ between insurers. It also distinguishes own occupation, suited occupation and any occupation definitions. [4] Do not assume that every policy uses an own occupation definition or treats all clinical duties in the same way.
Avoid cancelling existing cover simply because work is changing. New applications are subject to the insurer’s eligibility criteria and underwriting. Changes in health, occupation, duties or income may affect what is offered, on what terms and at what cost. Ask the insurer or adviser whether a change needs to be recorded and consider the consequences before replacing any policy.
Check what has changed in your role, not only your income
A return to locum work may mean different duties, different settings, fewer sessions, travel between sites or a mix of clinical and non-clinical work. Note these changes clearly. They matter to the practical question of what work you would be unable to do if unwell, as well as to any insurer assessment.
Also check professional arrangements separately. The GMC says doctors going on maternity or paternity leave should normally keep their licence, and should speak to their responsible officer or suitable person about revalidation while away. [1] Requirements can differ according to the work you intend to do, so confirm your own registration, revalidation, indemnity and engaging organisation requirements before taking sessions. This is professional guidance, not an insurance decision.
If you are moving from an employed role into locum work, do not assume that leave-related arrangements transfer. The BMA notes that keeping in touch and shared parental leave in touch days are voluntary and depend on agreement with the employer. [3] Check the arrangements that apply to your actual engagement.
Take focused questions to a protection review
A useful review is based on your current evidence and current plans, not a generic estimate. Bring a short list of questions. Ask how the insurer assesses the income relevant to the policy, what medical and occupational information is required, and how the benefit amount is limited. Ask what the deferred period means in practice, what definition of incapacity applies, and whether your new duties or work pattern change anything.
You can also ask whether an existing policy remains suitable if your return is gradual. The answer will depend on the insurer, the policy terms and your circumstances. No adviser can guarantee eligibility, an insurer’s underwriting decision or a claim outcome.
For an overview of the subject before a conversation, read Broadbench’s Income Protection page and clinician guides.
Speak to Broadbench
If you are returning to regular locum sessions after family leave, arrange a protection review with Broadbench. Bring your current policy documents, income evidence and expected work pattern so the discussion can focus on the questions that matter to you. Any recommendation and application remain subject to your circumstances, insurer criteria, underwriting and policy terms.
This article is general information for UK locum doctors and is not personal financial, medical, employment, tax or regulatory advice. Insurance eligibility, medical and occupational underwriting, benefit amounts, policy definitions, exclusions, deferred periods and benefit limits are insurer and policy specific. Income protection is not designed to replace planning for ordinary gaps between contracts or unbooked sessions. Check your policy documents and obtain personal advice where needed.
Sources
[1] GMC, Licence to practise top tips
[2] NHS Health Careers, Returning to medicine
[3] British Medical Association, Returning to work and your rights as a working parent
[4] MoneyHelper, What is income protection insurance?
[5] Broadbench, Income Protection Insurance
[6] Broadbench, Financial Protection and Mortgages for Clinicians and Practice Owners