Your contract of employment or handbook may explain your rights in relation to time off for doctors, dentists or other health appointments. An employer can request that you make these appointments out of office hours or that you make your time up.
A pregnant employee has a legal right to time off work to attend antenatal appointments. A father, or the partner of a pregnant woman, is also entitled to take unpaid time off from work to attend two antenatal appointments with their pregnant partner. Parents expecting a child through surrogacy are also entitled to this time if they intend to apply for, and expect to meet the conditions of, a Parental Order .
Your employer might be legally required under the Equality Act 2010 to allow you time off to attend medical appointments if you suffer from a disability.
You are entitled to time off to deal with an emergency involving a dependant. This could be your spouse, partner, child, grandchild, parent or someone who depends on you for care. You can take a reasonable amount of time off to deal with the emergency. There is no set time limit. Once the emergency has passed you may be asked by your employer to take annual leave or parental leave if you need more time away from work.
Bear in mind that your employer is entitled not to pay you for emergency time off or they may ask you to make the time up.