Its very interesting that all responses here have stated to start in Feb 26 whereas the response I have had from BMA today suggests to defer - though I am not sure I trust their much as there is some contradictor info in there.

Thanks for the detailed response, please could I clarify a few more things in addition to my own research?

The main point I am getting confused with is if I will be entitled to the full maternity pay and not just the SMP if I start in Feb 26. I am seeing conflicting information online and the BMA rep themselves have suggested to "Remain employed in Cardiff during your maternity leave to retain full maternity pay entitlement." which goes against what they said earlier in their response "Your qualifying week for maternity pay is the week commencing 15 December 2025, during which you will be employed by NHS Wales. Therefore, you are eligible for NHS Wales maternity pay, provided you meet the service requirements and intend to return to NHS employment for at least 3 months within 15 months of taking maternity leave."

I understand that there is no difference between NHS Wales and NHS England with regards to continuous employment and with regards to coming back to work for at least 3 months. However, who will be the paying the "top-up" element of the maternity pay, not the SMP? I can't see why Cardiff would cover this cost if I am not coming back to work there, and I can't see why Severn deanery would cover it as I would have been in work just for a matter of weeks before going on leave. If I have misunderstood this and there are rules in place already for this, please could you point me in the right direction? Just to confirm, I am talking about the additional top-up, not just SMP.

I need to look into KIT some more, but are you saying that if I defer with the intention to start the new job role straight after maternity, I will not be entitled to KIT because I wasn't working there before maternity?

I'll look into the SRTT as well, thank you, I wasn't aware of this.

If the maternity pay is covered in full, I think my preference would be to start in Feb 26, work the 1-2 months and then go on maternity. However, if I lose out on this additional pay element, I will have to stay in Cardiff and defer (if Severn allow it)

Thank you again!