Petition · past parliament · Department of Health and Social Care
Pay all breaks for NHS employees
Closed
71 signatures
What the petition asks
Currently it’s normal practice for meal and rest breaks for NHS employees to be unpaid. This is enshrined in the NHS terms and conditions of employment. Please abolish this and pay staff for all rostered hours including breaks.
This practice is mean, antagonistic, demoralising and disproportionately impacts staff in the busiest front-line roles who are often forced to work for free through their breaks. We shouldn’t be deducting 15 minute tea breaks. It is wasteful of ward managers’ time, having to police deductions of breaks from casual, emergency and overtime shifts. The entire NHS would benefit from removal of this penalty.
Timeline
| 1 Jun 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 1 Dec 2020 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
71
Status
Closed
Department
Department of Health and Social Care
Opened
1 Jun 2020
Closed
1 Dec 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.