Prison Officer Sickness Absence Management 2026 Explained

In shortPSI 18/2010 was cancelled in September 2024 and replaced by an intranet-only policy, so the triggers and stages are not public and we will not guess them.

For many years HMPPS used PSI 18/2010, titled Absence Management. The gov.uk Prison Service Instructions index, generated on 10 July 2026, shows it as cancelled in September 2024 and replaced by a Ministry of Justice wide policy called Supporting Attendance, which is available on the intranet only.

The triggers, review points and the stages that lead from a supportive conversation to a formal process and, ultimately, dismissal are not in the public domain. The precise numbers (how many days or episodes count) are not verified for the current HMPPS policy, so check yours.

Do not confuse attendance with discipline

HMPPS conduct policy tells managers to separate misconduct from performance or attendance matters, and the Acas Code distinguishes misconduct from poor performance. Absence through genuine illness is not misconduct. Misusing sick leave, for example by working elsewhere while certified unfit, can be treated as a conduct matter instead, so the label matters.

In shortAttendance dismissals happen in meaningful numbers (259 Band 3 to 5 officers in the 12 months to 30 June 2026), but the statistics cannot tell you why.

• Band 3 to 5, to 30 Jun 2026259Provisional; down from 363 and 433
• All grades, to 30 Jun 2026452Prison Service establishments
• Band 3 to 5, to 31 Mar 2025433Year before the 363 figure

HMPPS records dismissals for unsatisfactory attendance and medical inefficiency in a single category (medical inefficiency dismissals have been recorded as unsatisfactory attendance since January 2017). These are headcounts of leavers by reason, and the latest period is provisional.

They do not say how many officers were under an attendance process, how many were supported back to work, or why anyone's employment ended. We do not calculate a rate, because the grade grouping in the leavers table differs from the one used in the headcount table, and we do not rank establishments.

In shortStatutory sick pay rules changed on 6 April 2026, while contractual HMPPS sick pay is separate and its full and half pay split is not published.

• SSP change6 April 2026Lower earnings limit and waiting period removed
• HMPPS contractual sick payUp to 10 monthsRolling four years, modernised terms (2023-24 edition)
• Full and half pay splitNot foundWe do not state it

The Government's Employment Rights Act timeline update confirms that SSP is now payable from the first day of sickness for employees who qualify, rather than after three waiting days and only above the lower earnings limit.

We do not state the weekly SSP rate here because it changes and should be taken from GOV.UK on the day you need it.

Most prison officers are also covered by contractual civil service sick pay terms that go beyond SSP. The package edition predates 2026, so we do not state more. Our guide to prison officer sick pay explains what is known, and the sick pay calculator lets you test scenarios with your own figures.

In shortThe Supporting Attendance triggers are not public, but you can ask your manager to explain each stage in writing and keep your own records.

The process normally has recognisable stages. What matters is the quality of the conversation.

1. Report absence to the person and by the method set out in local instructions, and keep a record of when you did so.
2. Provide fit notes or self-certification as required and keep copies.
3. Attend welfare and return-to-work conversations; ask what the process stage is and for notes afterwards.
4. If Occupational Health refers you, ask what question the manager has asked and request a copy of the report before it goes to your employer, where you are entitled to see it.
5. Ask HR in writing about reasonable adjustments, phased returns or redeployment if your condition makes your current duties difficult.
6. If a formal meeting is called, ask for the policy section relied on, the evidence being used, and the right to be accompanied by a union representative or a colleague.

In shortIf your condition is a disability, the Equality Act 2010 requires the employer to consider adjustments and not to treat you unfavourably because of something arising from it without justification.

The Equality Act 2010 gives specific protection to employees whose health condition is a disability, which in broad terms means a physical or mental impairment with a substantial and long-term effect on normal day-to-day activities.

Section 15: discrimination arising from disability

An employer discriminates if it treats you unfavourably because of something arising in consequence of your disability, for example absence caused by the condition, unless the treatment is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim, and unless the employer did not know and could not reasonably have been expected to know of the disability.

Section 20: reasonable adjustments

Where a provision, criterion or practice puts a disabled person at a substantial disadvantage compared with people who are not disabled, the employer must take reasonable steps to avoid that disadvantage, and the cost must not be passed on to the employee.

• A phased return
• Altered hours
• A different duty
• Equipment
• A modification to the way an attendance trigger is applied

In shortOccupational Health advises and the employer decides; ill-health retirement is a separate pension decision that may be better for you than a capability dismissal.

Occupational Health (OH) is the usual route by which the employer gets medical evidence on fitness for work, likely recovery times and adjustments.

You should be told what is being asked, and you can ask what rights you have to see a report before it goes to your manager; the answer depends on the type of report, so check with HR or your union.

Ill-health retirement (alpha)

A pension matter with its own rules. The Scheme Medical Adviser decides whether there is a permanent breakdown in health. Lower tier means you cannot do your own job or a comparable one; upper tier means you also cannot do any gainful employment. Appeals against a refusal must be made within three months of the employer notifying the adviser's report, as explained in our guide to prison officer ill-health retirement. Our free appeal planner works out that deadline and shows which stage an appeal is at.

Injury benefit

If your condition results from an injury or illness caused by your duties, the Civil Service Injury Benefit Scheme may apply, explained in injury benefits for prison officers.

• A phased return
• A move to alternative duties
• Consideration of redeployment
• If your condition is permanent and prevents you doing your job, ill-health retirement

In shortSickness does not necessarily freeze a disciplinary investigation, but health advice can and should shape how it is run.

People under a disciplinary investigation often go off sick. That is understandable: the stress is real. The published HMPPS conduct policy (as re-issued in 2013, the last public text) states that an investigation must not automatically be delayed because a person is on sick leave.

In a Moorland case published in September 2026, Occupational Health advice was taken on whether the officer could attend a hearing, and arrangements were made for support during breaks.

In shortIn probation, absence may feature in the decision to confirm you; the Equality Act protections apply whatever your length of service.

If you are in your probationary period the stakes can be higher. The HMPPS probation instruction, PSI 11/2014, exists but is not published, and we cannot state the length of an E&W probationary period or how absence is treated within it.

See our guide to probation dismissal for prison officers and the explanation of the prison officer probation period.

Unfair dismissal rights depend on continuous service. At present you need two years for dismissals up to 31 December 2026, falling to six months where the effective date of termination is on or after 1 January 2027 under SI 2026/559. The Equality Act protections are not dependent on length of service.

In shortA tribunal asks whether the employer acted reasonably, not whether you were really too ill; time limits are tight, so speak to your union immediately.

If you have enough service and are dismissed on grounds of attendance or ill health, you may be able to bring an unfair dismissal claim. The employer must show a potentially fair reason, which in these cases is normally capability, and the tribunal then asks whether the employer acted reasonably.

A tribunal does not decide if you were really too ill; it asks if the employer's decision was within the range of reasonable responses.

• A proper investigation
• Consultation with you
• Up-to-date medical evidence
• Consideration of alternatives such as redeployment or adjustments
• A fair hearing and appeal