Night work

Where an employee works nights and has a certificate from a doctor or midwife showing it is necessary for her health and safety not to work nights, the employer should suspend her from working nights for the periods stated in the certificate (regulation 17, MHSWR). The employer must offer suitable alternative daytime work on the same terms and conditions. If there is no suitable alternative day work, she should be suspended on full pay for as long as needed for her health and safety.

However, a woman should not be routinely forced to leave her night shift where there is no medical evidence from a doctor or midwife stating that this is necessary.

In 2013, a Danish survey suggested a possible link between night shifts and a raised risk of miscarriage. Commenting on the findings, a representative of the Royal College of Midwives pointed to the twin challenges represented by the demand for 24-hour services, and the fact that many miscarriages occur before 12 weeks, before many people would want to tell their employer they were pregnant.

NHS advice is that since the evidence of a raised risk of miscarriage is comparatively weak and limited, they do not recommend a mandatory change to shift patterns. Instead, any change to working patterns should depend on the needs of the individual woman.

Night work can also disrupt successful breastfeeding.