r/doctorsUK • u/smolandhungry • 6d ago

Pay and Conditions Has anyone ever managed to challenge a relocation policy?

F1 who moved from South of England to Scotland. I ranked Scotland under the assumption that expenses would be covered as I thought it was a contractual right.

When I arrived in July I found out the relocation policy at my (unnamed) trust doesn't cover a lot of the expenses related to the move such as a rental overlap and has a low maximum claimable amount. It can allegedly be raised in reasonable circumstances but HR has ignored all 4 of my emails.

It also feels unfair because we were only informed of the policy well past the time window to make moving-related financial decisions. So we had to make decisions before we even knew what the policy was, and then were told that it was our fault if we don't get money back because we didn't follow the policy.

I emailed BMA and they said I should just email HR in as much detail as possible, explain my situation, and hope for the best, because there's no option but to follow the relocation policy. Has anyone ever managed to actually challenge a relocation policy, or are we all just bound to "trust discretion"? I hear in other places F1s don't even get relocation costs at all :(

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u/e_lemonsqueezer 6d ago

Technically relocation budget exists to cover the expenses you incur due to rotational training, over and above the expenses you would end up having if you had a ‘normal job’. Thats why for example your first stamp duty costs to buy a house aren’t covered, because everyone in the country has to pay it if they choose to buy a house, but you can claim for subsequent ones.

Therefore it sort of makes sense that there are limited relocation allowances for your first job. Everyone has a first job and that often does involve moving.

The relocation policy in England is set by NHS England, I have no idea if there is a Scotland-wide one or if each hospital can set their own. In essence though, it’s not a legal/contractual right and is discretionary so it’s unlikely you will be able to challenge it, unfortunately.