Study Leave

Study leave is a period of time off and financial support to study or train in a particular medical subject - related to primary care. These are often courses aimed at meeting the GP trainee's goals and objectives.

All GP trainees will be given 30 days of study leave per year as part of their training - 15 of which contributes towards their weekly teaching sessions.

How to Apply?

Study leave requests (including expense requests) can only be claimed for via the Accent Leave Manager portal - link to portal here.

If you already have your credentials (your email address is the same as your TIS contact email address), you can log in from the home page. See below example of login process

Once you have logged in, you will be taken to the Accent portal. Your account can be accessed in the top right-hand corner, like in the example below.

The menu items on the page header below will allow you navigation to the parts of the system where you can apply for study leave and claim for expenses. See below of how this looks.

Use of Study Leave

Attendance at a course will be funded once only in training with the exception of BLS and GP update. During GP training study leave should be used at 3 levels, in order of importance.

LEVEL I (Applications for these will be automatically approved.)

LEVEL II

These are courses which will supplement areas of the GP curriculum that may be difficult to access, examples would include Child Health Surveillance and other RCGP accredited courses.

LEVEL III

These are courses which are additional and aspirational courses that go beyond the GP curriculum e.g., to aid the development of further interests. Approval for these courses would be restricted to trainees making satisfactory progress and usually approaching the end of training.

Examples of level 3 courses

2 day courses

RCGP Annual conference or another multi-day GP conference – 1 attendance in training unless presenting a poster or workshop etc.

2 day clinically focused courses – 1 attendance in training only. In addition, child health surveillance will be funded once during training as will minor surgery which is level 3 and usually funded in late ST2 or ST3.

If a further multi-day clinically facing course is requested approval will be sought from Head of School. Time rather than funding is likely to be granted.

1 day courses

Study Leave FAQs

Is there a budgetary limit to how much I can claim on a course?

There is no budgetary limit on study leave spending however, the study leave budget does not cover residential expenses. Study leave should only be used to meet core curriculum requirements. All study leave requests should be discussed and agreed with your supervisors.

Who approves my study leave and when should I book the course?

Your TPD will either approve or deny your request on Accent leave manager. It is essential that study leave applications are submitted for approval BEFORE the date of the commencement of the course. Any course approval sought less than 6 weeks before the commencement of the course needs a comment on Accent to justify. Retrospective approval for courses will be declined unless there is significant mitigation.

What is my Study Leave Budget Allowance?

There is not a specific trainee budget allowance. For more information please contact the Study Leave team, Studyleave.nw@hee.nhs.uk

When does the new budget start and can my Study Leave budget
be carried forward to
subsequent years?

1st April until the 31st March the following year. Your Study Leave budget is for the current year only and unused funding cannot be carried forward to subsequent years.

Can I have Study Leave
during Maternity Leave?

‘2.5 Those trainees who are on Maternity or Paternity Leave should have access to Study Leave only in exceptional circumstances. This approval should only be given once the issues surrounding contractual and medical indemnity have been clarified with the Postgraduate Dean, the relevant lead employer and the provider of the course/conference/educational programme which the trainee has applied to attend.’

The trainee will need to ensure that they have permission from the lead employer and that any medical indemnity has been covered. Once we have been advised that this has been covered, we will forward the application to the Deputy Postgraduate Dean for approval. The trainee will also be required to use a KIT (Keep in Touch) day to attend the conference. If the trainee is on her annual leave segment at the end of Maternity Leave then we can process as normal; however, if the trainee is on actual Maternity Leave at the time of the conference, then the above procedure must be followed.

Do I need to apply for Study Leave if I do not want to claim expenses?

Yes. All Study Leave, both for time off and for funding, must be approved by your Training Programme Director prior to the leave.

How do I claim my
expenses back?

You can claim expenses by following the

tutorials on the webpage here.

When should I expect my expenses to be reimbursed?

Your Lead Employer is St Helen’s and Knowsley: Refunds are made with your salary at the end of each month. The cut-off date is usually the 8th of the month, if this falls over the weekend it will be the last working day before this date). If the Claim form is not processed before this date, they will get paid the following month. If unsure, please check the LEO webpage for details as early submissions are due around Christmas and Financial Year End.

Will air travel be refunded?

Only where it is cheaper to travel by air than by

train, or where it is not possible to

travel by rail.

How much funding do I
get for accommodation?

Within London, the overnight rate should not exceed £150 per night (bed & breakfast). Outside London, the overnight rate should not exceed £120 per night (bed and breakfast). However, in some circumstances, HENW may not permit any funding for accommodation. Please speak to your TPD before making the request.

How is travel calculated?

Travel is calculated from your base hospital to the course/conference/exam venue to a maximum of a 2nd class (standard) return rail fare. Mileage can be claimed as long as it does not exceed the amount of

a 2nd class return rail fare.

What is the rate of mileage?

30 pence per mile (up to the maximum of a 2nd class rail fare).

Can I claim expenses for overseas trips?

HEE will consider funding either the full cost of the course/conference fees or the full cost of the economy travel and accommodation, whichever is the lower amount. Overseas trips must also be approved by the Postgraduate Dean (or deputy) at the Deanery as well as your Training Programme Director. Funding for trips may be restricted depending on previous funding. Overseas is defined as any country outside the UK. Study Leave will not be granted to attend examinations overseas. The guidelines around overseas study leave have been amended significantly, for full detail

please refer to the Study Leave guidelines

to be found on the HENW website here.

What receipts do I need to send?

Receipts are required for:

Course/Conference fees
Accommodation
Subsistence
Rail Travel (including Tube and Tram journeys)
Air Travel
Parking
Taxis

If no receipt for travel is submitted, travel will be calculated as an off-peak 2nd class return rail fare from the nearest mainline station to your hospital base to the nearest station to the course/conference venue.

If no receipt is received for any other expense, you will not be refunded.

Can I claim expenses for Food and Drink?

Subsistence can be claimed where appropriate to a maximum of £20 for a full 24-hour period.

Claims for alcohol will not be reimbursed.

Can I claim expenses for an exam?

Exam fees cannot be reimbursed. Travel to the exam and accommodation/subsistence can be claimed (subject to approval by your Training Programme Director).

Courses that can be claimed for
via Study Leave

Course	Comments
Structured Education programme	Mandatory release, no funding implications
RCGP-provided or accredited RCA course	One course attendance per trainee
RCGP-provided or accredited AKT course	One course attendance per trainee
Fourteen fish AKT and RCA support	Funding for the whole blended package per trainee.
BLS training
Child Safeguarding / Adult Safeguarding	One course attendance per trainee. These should be completed as soon as possible after starting GPST training.
GP Update Day e.g., NB Medical / Red Whale	For all in STs

GM Deprivation GPST Training Programme.