Recognising Part-Time and Returning Staff: Fair Long Service in GP Practices

Part-time staff long service matters because most GP practices rely on people who don’t fit the neat full-time pattern. Part-time receptionists, sessional nurses, staff who left and came back after a career break: they are often the ones who know the patients best. Yet when long service comes round, they are easy to overlook.

Part-time staff long service: count years, not hours

The simplest fair rule is to count years of service, whatever the working pattern. Someone who has worked two days a week for ten years has given the practice ten years of loyalty. Treating that the same as full-time service sends a clear message that every contract matters.

Decide how to treat breaks

Returning staff need a clear, kind approach. A few options practices use:

• Add earlier service to current service, so a returner picks up where they left off.
• Count NHS service elsewhere, which suits staff who moved between practices or trusts.
• Restart the count, but mark the return itself with a small welcome-back gesture.

Whichever you choose, write it down and apply it to everyone. Consistency avoids awkward conversations later.

Check your records

Part-time and returning staff are the ones most likely to have patchy start dates on file. Take ten minutes to confirm original start dates with each person. It is a lovely conversation to have, and it often uncovers a milestone you would otherwise have missed.

Make part-time staff long service recognition match

A part-time colleague reaching five years deserves the same badge and the same thank you as anyone else. Our NHS long service awards cover every milestone from 1 to 50 years, so you can mark a 5 year badge or a 10 year badge exactly when it is due. If your practice prefers its own branding, custom logo badges work just as well.

Badges start from £6.99 with no minimum order, so ordering a single badge for one person is never a problem, and delivery takes 2–3 days. Over 350 GP practices and more than 40 NHS Trusts already use us, and well over 100 practices have come back to order again.

Have a question about delivery or ordering? Our FAQ has the answers, or you can browse the full range in our shop.