A pregnant employee asks for two hours away from work for a scan. Treating that request as annual leave, an ordinary medical appointment or time that must be worked back can breach a specific statutory right. The practical job is to confirm employment status, allow a reasonable amount of paid time, plan cover and record the absence without turning a routine appointment into an unnecessary dispute.
The pregnant employee's right starts on day one
An employee is entitled from the first day of employment to reasonable time off during working hours for antenatal care. The time must be paid at the employee's normal rate. An employer must not unreasonably refuse the request or require the employee to make the time up later. This is a separate legal right, not a favour under a general medical-appointments policy.
Employment status matters. A pregnant agency worker gains the right to paid antenatal time after completing the 12-week qualifying period in the same assignment. Acas says there is no equivalent legal requirement to pay casual or zero-hours workers who are not employees, although offering paid time is good practice and helps avoid status and consistency problems.
The employee needs to tell the employer that the appointment is pregnancy-related for the statutory treatment to be applied. Until then, the employer may reasonably process the request under its ordinary medical-appointment rules. Managers should make disclosure easy and confidential rather than asking for clinical details that are not needed.
Antenatal care is wider than a hospital scan
Antenatal care means pregnancy-related appointments made on the advice of a doctor, nurse or midwife. It can include health checks and scans, antenatal courses or parentcraft classes, and recommended sessions for pregnancy-related health, fitness, relaxation or mental wellbeing. The key is professional advice; a self-selected activity does not automatically become statutory antenatal care simply because it relates to pregnancy.
There is no statutory cap on the number or length of appointments for the pregnant employee. The test is a reasonable amount of time, which includes the appointment or class and necessary travel to and from it. Waiting times, location, public transport and the needs of the pregnancy all matter. Acas notes typical appointment patterns, but they are not limits. A higher-risk or complicated pregnancy may require substantially more visits.
For a North East employee travelling from a rural site to a hospital clinic, the reasonable absence may be much longer than the scan itself. Discuss the likely return time and practical options such as starting from home, remote work afterwards or a sensible handover. Flexibility can reduce disruption, but it must not be used to convert paid statutory time into hours owed.
Ask for notice and evidence proportionately
The employee should give as much notice as possible. Ask for the date, expected duration and any operational information needed to arrange cover. Do not insist that every appointment is moved outside working hours: clinics set many dates, and unreasonable pressure to reschedule can undermine the statutory right.
An employer cannot ask for proof of the first antenatal appointment. For later appointments, it can ask for an appointment card or other evidence. Keep the request narrow. The manager normally needs confirmation of the appointment, not the employee's medical notes, test results or diagnosis. Store any evidence securely and restrict access because it is health information.
Where notice is short, find out why before refusing or criticising the employee. Urgent monitoring and rearranged hospital appointments do not always permit normal notice. Record the reason, the decision and the cover arrangement so similar cases are handled consistently.
Partners have a separate, narrower right
The baby's father, the pregnant woman's spouse or civil partner, a person in a long-term relationship with her, or an intended parent in a surrogacy arrangement can take time off to accompany her to up to two antenatal appointments. The statutory maximum is 6.5 hours for each appointment, including travel, and the statutory time is unpaid. An employer can choose to provide pay, more time or more appointments under an enhanced policy.
The partner's right is available immediately to an employee. An agency worker normally needs 12 weeks in the job before qualifying. Keep this route distinct from the pregnant employee's unlimited reasonable paid-time right. A policy that uses one rule for both will either understate the pregnant employee's rights or promise partners more than the statutory baseline without saying so clearly.
Apply any enhanced benefit consistently to eligible relationships and family arrangements. A manager should not make assumptions about marital status, sex, sexual orientation or who counts as a parent. If the organisation pays partners for attendance, write that enhancement into the policy and payroll process.
GOV.UK: leave for antenatal appointments ↗ · Related guide: paternity leave under the 2026 rules →
Give managers a clear antenatal-time-off process.
HR + SAFETY can help North East SMEs set the evidence, pay, recording and partner rules out clearly so managers respond consistently.
Discuss antenatal appointment supportKeep appointments separate from pregnancy-related sickness
Attendance at antenatal care is paid time off, not sickness absence. If the employee is unwell before, during or after an appointment, establish which period was the appointment and which was pregnancy-related sickness. Record the categories separately and do not push either into annual leave simply to make the attendance report look tidier.
Pregnancy-related sickness should not count towards ordinary absence-warning triggers. If it occurs during the four weeks before the week the baby is due, it can automatically start statutory maternity leave. That is a different rule from antenatal appointments and needs its own date and payroll check.
An appointment request also does not replace the pregnancy risk assessment. Once the employer has written notice that a worker is pregnant, it must address the individual's relevant workplace risks and review controls as the pregnancy develops or circumstances change. If the appointment produces new work restrictions, discuss them promptly and update the assessment where necessary.
Related guide: pregnancy-related sickness absence → · HSE: protecting pregnant workers and new mothers ↗
A practical antenatal-appointment checklist
Legal requirements and official guidance were checked on 9 October 2026. Give line managers a short decision route and a named HR contact. Most requests are straightforward when the manager knows which right applies, what evidence is permitted and how cover will be arranged.
- Confirm whether the person is an employee, agency worker or another type of worker.
- Record that the request is for antenatal care without seeking unnecessary medical detail.
- Allow the pregnant employee reasonable paid time, including necessary travel.
- Do not make the employee work the statutory time back.
- Ask for as much notice as possible, while allowing for urgent or rearranged appointments.
- Do not request evidence for the first appointment; keep later requests proportionate.
- Apply the separate two-appointment, 6.5-hour and unpaid baseline to eligible partners.
- Record any enhanced partner benefit clearly and apply it consistently.
- Keep antenatal attendance, pregnancy-related sickness and annual leave as separate records.
- Review the pregnancy risk assessment when new medical advice changes work needs.
Treat antenatal appointments as a distinct statutory process. Pay the pregnant employee for reasonable appointment and travel time, keep evidence requests proportionate, apply the separate partner rules correctly and record appointments apart from sickness and holiday.
This guide provides general information for UK employers. It is not legal advice and should not replace advice based on the facts of a specific matter.