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A dental nurse asks to drop to four days: the flexible working request, the two-month deadline and the two-a-year limit, worked
A nurse or receptionist can ask for flexible working from day one. Two requests a year, a decision in two months. Dates and cover hours worked for four days.
The nurse hands in a letter: she would like to work four days a week instead of five, starting in the spring. The practice manager's first thought is often "can she just ask that?" She can, from her first day in the job, and the practice then has a process to follow with a clock on it.
What GOV.UK says
Three GOV.UK pages cover it.
- Who and when. All employees have the legal right to ask for flexible working, and they can make a request from their first day in a job.
- How often. An employee can make 2 applications in any 12-month period.
- What the request must say. It must be in writing (letter or email) and give the date of the request, a statement that it is a statutory request for flexible working, details of how the employee wants to work and when they want to start, and whether and when they made a previous application, with its date.
- The practice's side. It must decide within 2 months, or longer if agreed with the employee. Before refusing it must have discussed the request with the employee, and it must tell the employee it has refused.
- Reasons for refusal. GOV.UK lists eight: extra costs that will damage the business; the work cannot be reorganised among other staff; people cannot be recruited to do the work; quality will be affected; performance will be affected; the business will not be able to meet customer demand; a lack of work during the proposed working times; planned changes to the workforce.
A search summary of the Acas guidance added that only one request can be live at a time and that the two months includes any appeal. I did not read that on the Acas page, so confirm it there before relying on it.
The sums
The deadline. The nurse's letter is dated 15 January 2027. Two months from that date is 15 March 2027, which is 59 days. If the practice wants longer, the nurse has to agree, and it is wise to have that in writing. I have counted two calendar months from the letter's date; GOV.UK does not say how to count when a letter is dated the 31st, so on a month-end date take the earlier day to be safe.
The cover. Five 7.5-hour days is 37.5 hours. Four days is 30 hours. The gap is 7.5 hours a week, and 7.5 x 52 is 390 hours a year. That is one day of reception or chairside cover to fill.
| Cover rate (example) | Working | Cost over 52 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| £13.00 an hour | 390 x £13.00 | £5,070 |
| £15.00 an hour | 390 x £15.00 | £5,850 |
| £17.00 an hour | 390 x £17.00 | £6,630 |
Those rates are examples, not figures from GOV.UK, and the table ignores what the practice saves in wages for the missing day. The useful point is that the practice is covering a fifth of a role, which is a smaller task than recruiting a whole post.
The count of requests. If the nurse asks on 15 January 2027 and again on 20 June 2027, she has used two. A third request on 16 January 2028 would have only the June and January requests inside its 12 months (17 January 2027 to 16 January 2028), so it is safe on any reading. A third on 1 December 2027 would be the third inside 12 months. I have not read how a withdrawn request is counted.
A practical order of work
- Date-stamp the request the day it arrives and diarise 15 March 2027 (or two months from your own letter's date).
- Meet her. The discussion is required before any refusal, so hold it and note it.
- Check the rota. Look at the five-day rota with the fifth day taken out, and whether a trial period suits.
- Decide in writing, and if it is a refusal name which of the eight reasons applies and why.
Related guides: holiday entitlement for a part-time nurse, the minimum wage for dental staff and unfair dismissal start dates.
What I did not read
I did not read the Acas statutory code of practice itself, the Flexible Working Regulations, the GOV.UK appeals page, or anything on discrimination risks if a refusal falls unevenly on carers or disabled staff. I did not check how a trial period or a temporary change is treated. I have not checked for changes since 19 October 2026.
Overlyft builds AI staff who join your practice team and keep a log of flexible working requests, count the two-month deadline from each letter's date, draft the acknowledgement and the rota options, and put them in front of the practice manager to confirm before anything goes to the nurse.
This is general information, not legal advice. Check the GOV.UK pages and Acas guidance for your own case.
Where this comes from: GOV.UK, "Flexible working" (all employees can ask from their first day), "Applying for flexible working" (2 applications in any 12-month period; the letter or email must give the date, state that it is a statutory request, give the change wanted and start date, and say whether and when a previous application was made) and "After the application" (decision within 2 months or longer if agreed; the employer must discuss the request before refusing and tell the employee of a refusal; the eight business reasons for refusal). A web search summary of the Acas guidance said only one request can be live at a time and that the two months includes any appeal; I did not read that on the Acas page itself. Read 19 October 2026.
AEO Lookup editorial team
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