Study Leave
for Postgraduate Doctors and Dentists in Training

This page offers an overview of Study Leave and Accent Leave Manager. Please also refer to the Frequently Asked Questions the ALM Applicant User Guide for more information and help. Please ensure that you read the relevant information on the website before contacting the NHSE study leave team.

Contents

- Overview of Study Leave
- Policy and Guidance
- Types of Study Leave
- Academic doctors / dentists
- Out of Programme doctors / dentists
- Accent Leave Manager
- Before Applying
- Applying for Study Leave
- Cancelling Study Leave
- Claiming expenses
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Information for Approvers
- Support Contacts

Overview of Study Leave

Study leave exists to enable doctors and dentists in training to acheive the requirements of their specialty curriculum. Discretionary study leave may also be approved for activities that promote enhanced medical knowledge or support patient care or personsal development. Doctors and dentists in training are responsible for familarising themselves with the study leave policy and guidance (including any trust, school or specialty specific guidance) and for ensuring that they follow the study leave process.

Doctors and dentists in training must apply for study leave in advance of any course, conference or other study leave activity they intend to undertake. This includes mandatory teaching. Study leave must be approved by the Rota Coordinator, Educational Supervisor (or equivilent supervisor), and Training Programme Director. Applications for TPD / Medical Education approval are submitted using Accent Leave Manager (ALM). More information about the approval process and ALM can be found on these pages.

Policy and Guidance

The NHS England approach to study leave is set out in the  national study leave policy, which provides a strategic overview of the study leave process, approval principles and finance management. The policy was developed by the Study Leave Working Group with trainee representatives.

The Health Education Yorkshire and the Humber  study leave operaional guidance details the local NHSE study leave guidance and covers the process for applications and claiming expenses, as well as guidance about discretionary, international and private study leave.

Doctors and dentists in training are strongly advised to familarise themselves with the policy and guidance documents before applying for study leave. TPD and Medical Education approvers are also encouraged to the guidance when approving study leave.

Types of Study Leave

Further to the curriculum and discretionary study leave entitlements, study leave is divided into four types. Study, exam, private, and international. Please note the descriptions below and carefully select the right leave type when submitting your application.

   
If you are planning multiple activities in preparation for an exam, you must take care to apply for each activity seperately under the correct leave type. eg An exam preperation course, private exam preperation, and the exam sitting will each require a seperate application.

Academic doctors and dentists in training have equitable access to specialty study leave funding and can apply for study leave via ALM for study leave related to their specialty training curriculum. Study leave related to academic research that is additional to the achivement of specialty curriculum requirements cannot be funded by the NHSE study leave budget but through the funding body for the doctor's academic research (eg the University).

As with other doctors in training, study leave expenses will normally be claimed via the employing trust. If you are not employed by a trust, please contact the NHSE study leave team for guidance.

Out of Programme doctors / dentists

According to the Study Leave policy, doctors and dentists on OOP are not eligible for study leave, except for OOPT (Training). In exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the Postgraduate Dean, study leave funding during other OOP types may be considered for curriculum-based activity. Consquently, study leave applications from doctors and dentists on other OOP types will only be facilitated where they have Head of School/Postgraduate Dean support.

The home region is responsible for approving requests and for funding study leave for doctors and dentists on OOP. If you are on OOP within Yorkshire and the Humber, but your home region is elsewhere, you will need to contact your home region for information about how to apply for study leave: NHSE PGMDE teams.

If your home region is Yorkshire and the Humber and you are on OOP within or outside the region, please contact the Yorkshire and the Humber Study Leave leave for assistance. Please note: Funding for courses related to employment requirements, should be funded by the employing trust. Please contact the trust for information about trust funding.

Accent Leave Manager

All study leave applications from doctors in training within Yorkshire and the Humber must be submitted using Accent Leave Manager (ALM). Applications must be submitted in advance of the event for approval by your Training Programme Director or Medical Education.

   
Support Contacts for ALM and Study Leave can be found at the bottom of this page. Before contacting us, please ensure that you have checked the Applicant User Guide and the Frequently Asked Questions.

Before Applying

Before submitting your application on ALM, rota coordinator approval for the time off must be requested using the local trust process / e-roster. Supervisor approval for the educational appropriateness of the course/conference must also be given before an application is submitted on ALM. This may be discussed as part of PDP planning or later and documented as appropriate on your e-portfolio.

Applying for Study Leave

Once Rota Coordinator and Supervisor approval have been confirmed, a Study Leave application may be submitted on ALM for final Training Programme Director approval. Alternatively, where a course/conference is pre-approved by the PGMDE school, the application will be routed in ALM to Medical Education for approval.

  
For instructions on how to complete an application in ALM, please see the Applicant User Guide. For further information or if you encounter an error when completing your application, please see the Frequently Asked Questions.

Cancelling Study Leave

If you are not able to attend a course/conference for which you have applied or the event has been cancelled, please cancel the related study leave application on ALM. Cancelling the application helps to ensure that your entitlement days and budget are record correctly. For instructions on how to cancel an application, please see the Applicant User Guide.

Claiming Expenses

While study leave applications are now submitted using Accent, reimbursement continues to be through the local trust expenses system. Expense systems vary depending on the employing trust, please contact Medical Education at your employing trust for information about or assistance using the trust expenses system. 

  
Expense claims will only be reimbursed if a Study Leave application with estimated expenses was submitted on ALM and approved in advance of the event. Evidence of attendance and appropriate receipts must be included with expense claims. Accomodation, travel and subsistence expenses will will only be authorised within the nationally agreed allowances:

   
More detailed guidance for study leave expenses, including eligible expenses and amounts, is available in the Operational Study Leave Guidance.

Frequently Asked Questions

For help with common questions and issues including, budgets & entitlements, account activation, and errors, please see the Frequently Asked Questions page:

Information for Approvers

Further information for approvers, including the approver user guide, is available on the approver guidance page:

Support Contacts

For assistance using ALM or claiming expenses, please contact the Medical Education Centre at your employing trust. Medical Education contacts are listed below. Alternatively, please see the trust directory.

To follow-up outstanding approvals, please email the approver in the first instance. Please allow approvers 14 days to approve/decline your application before emailing. If you do not receive a reply, please contact Medical Education or the NHSE Study Leave team.

For technical support, feedback or guidance, please contact the NHSE Study Leave team at england.studyleave.yh@nhs.net. Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions before contacting the NHSE Study Leave team.

When emailing for support, please ensure that you include your GMC/GDC Number, and the start/end dates and course / conference name for your planned study leave. If you are emailing about a system error, please include the text of the error message and or a screenshot. Please also include the date and time that you encountered the error.
 

Medical Education Contacts