NHS England Thames Valley is committed to supporting trainee doctors in undertaking study leave activities to achieve their speciality curriculum and support professional development. Please be aware that it is the responsibility of each postgraduate Doctor in training to ensure they read the guidance documents prior to applying for Study Leave, to ensure you are aware of all requirements and limitations.
Before Application – Study Leave guidance documents
There is an expectation that all resident Doctors read the necessary policy documents and the information on this website prior to applying for Study Leave. If there is anything you are not clear about after reading the provided information, please ensure you contact your Trust Study Leave team prior to paying for any courses (see Contacts, under Other). Appeals will not be supported based on lack of knowledge of the policy. Please note the standard process may differ for the following: Foundation, GP, Public Health. Please see the specific section for this.
Key Points:
(1) Read the following documents:
NHS England Study Leave Policy
Study Leave and Study Budget Arrangements
NHSE National Guidance
(2) All applications for study leave must be made on ALM in advance, ideally 6 weeks.
(3) Discuss any study leave courses/activities with your Educational Supervisor in advance of your application and retrieve email approval.
(4) For anything not on the essential list, you will also require TPD email approval. All requests for international events or non-essential events over £1000, require NHSE approval first.
(4) Retrospective applications will not be accepted. See Retrospective applications.
(5) All claims must be made via the Trust chosen expenses claims process. Claims made without having first applied for time/funding on ALM will not be accepted. Please note that whilst all expenses must be approved prospectively on ALM, but cannot be claimed via ALM. Contact the Trust Study Leave office for any support with the claims process. See Contacts under Other.
(6) If you pay for a course/activity before the approval process is complete, and the request is declined, you will not be reimbursed for any costs incurred.
Applications and Accent Leave Manager (ALM)
ALM was introduced in April 2024, and is used by all resident Doctors except GPs based in a surgery. You will have an account, and if you require details or help with access please contact: england.imsupport.south@nhs.net.
(1) ES approval (PDF of an email or a screenshot) MUST be uploaded, and also TPD approval where required (international, or non-essential above £1000). Missing approvals result in rejected applications.
(2) Apply 6 weeks in advance where possible. The system will not allow retrospective dates. See Retrospective applications.
(3) The ALM system will automatically send the application to the chosen person to approve study leave for your post, followed by the Trust Study Leave team and NHSE, if international or above £1000 and non-essential.
(4) The ALM system does not limit your expenses so ensure you are aware of the limits to funding, including the International Study Leave policy. See the International section below for more guidance before applying.
Only expenses added to the application will be considered for approval.
(5) You must ensure you read all comments and emails associated with your ALM application to ensure you are fully aware of funding agreements prior to paying for the event.
Accommodation, Mileage, Subsistence, Taxis and Parking
Mileage – Mileage can be claimed for all Study Leave activity away from your base site, with the exception of international study leave.
Accommodation – Accommodation is capped at £120 per night, and £150 for London. (Valid London postcodes for higher rate are: NW1, NW8, SW3, SW7, WC1, WC2, W1, W2, W9, W10 EC1 and EC4)
Accommodation can be claimed for Study Leave which takes place more than either 2 hours or 100 miles each way. We do take into consideration increased journey times for central London and encourage trainees to use train travel where possible.
Parking – Parking will be covered, providing the cost of mileage and parking does not exceed the cost of public transport.
Subsistence – up to £15 can be claimed for each day for events including overnight accommodation. Subsistence cannot be claimed for international Study Leave.
Taxis – travel by taxi is not covered unless evidence is provided that it is either the cheapest option, or the only option.
Trains/ Buses/ Underground – Ensure all receipts/ tickets are retained for claiming expenses.
All travel to Study Leave events should be via the most economical route possible.
Travel and subsistence can be claimed from the study leave budget for sitting exams required within an individual’s curriculum.
Essential/ Desirable lists per specialty
Essential – Essential Study Leave does not require TPD or NHSE approval.
Desirable – Desirable courses require TPD approval. If above £1000 they also require NHSE approval. This would be sought by the Trust via ALM.
Trainees in the Thames Valley may apply for study leave activity of any cost for courses that are mandated by the curriculum or those that are not, referred to as ‘aspirational’. The eligibility criteria and process must be adhered to in order for applications to be approved, and all non-essential courses are discretionary.
Each Specialty School has created a list of essential courses required for curriculum completion:
Medicine
International Study Leave funding
Each resident Doctor in specialty training is entitled to apply for one International Study Leave event per year, however all International Study Leave is discretionary and priority given to those presenting posters, and to those who can demonstrate significant benefits to training.
International Study Leave will only be considered where there is not a reasonable alternative available in the UK.
The International Study Leave policy ensures NHSE fund only the lowest amount of EITHER the course fees OR the travel and accommodation. NHSE do need details of ALL expenses incurred to decide which funding to offer, and if any expenses are waived or covered elsewhere, you must note this in the comments to avoid rejection of your application as incomplete.
Retrospective Applications
Retrospective applications will NOT be approved, except very rarely for extenuating circumstances. If you are experiencing difficulties in accessing ALM then contact IM Support before the event takes place, and if you need support with the application process or policy then ensure you contact the Trust or NHSE study leave offices PRIOR to the event taking place. These are not considered acceptable reasons for retrospective applications. See Contacts for relevant email addresses.
Appeals
If you would like to appeal your Study Leave application decision, then you may appeal to the Postgraduate Dean.
To submit an appeal, please complete the online form setting out reasons for your appeal and include any relevant evidence.
Claiming expenses
All claims must be made via the Trust chosen expenses claims process. Please note that all expenses must be approved prospectively on ALM, but cannot be claimed via ALM. Contact the Trust Study Leave office for any support with the claims process. See Contacts under Other.
Any claim for which a receipt cannot be produced, will not be reimbursed (except London Underground contactless payments, whereby bank statements will be accepted for single contactless underground fares).
Foundation, GP, Dental and Public Health
Foundation – FY1 Doctors are not eligible for Study Leave, but they are able to use up to 5 days of their FY2 allowance for taster days. FY2 Doctors are only entitled to eLAS/ ALS where required. Other Study Leave can be applied for, however this is discretionary and would need approval by TPD, HoS and NHSE. Please see the flowchart for the process.
Dental trainees are not covered by this arrangement. Dental trainees are covered by the new Dental Study Leave policy.
Public Health trainees are not covered by this policy and should apply to their employer for both leave and funding from their study leave budget.
All GP trainees based in a practice should submit their application for Study Leave to the GP Study Leave team – england.gpstudy.tv@acsanyinelorincz
GP trainees who are in hospital-based posts should follow the same process as all other Specialty trainees.
Exclusions
– Membership fees or subscriptions
– ePortfolio registration costs
– Postgraduate exam fees
– Printing costs for presenting posters/ publications
– Publication fees
– Any statutory or mandatory training (this is covered by your employing Trust)
– Mileage to and from airports/ train stations during international study leave.
– Subsistence during international study leave.
– Subsistence for study leave which does not include overnight stays.
– The higher of either fees or travel and accommodation, for international study leave only.
– Travel to attend ARCP.
– Any claim for which a receipt cannot be produced (except London Underground contactless payments, whereby bank statements will be accepted for single contactless underground fares).
– Visas or vaccinations
Other
ALS/ eALS: From April 2025, all resident Doctors should be undertaking eALS, and the automatic NHSE funding for this will be capped at £300. Increased funding may be approved at Deans discretion, for exceptional circumstances such as lack of course availability. ALS may also be funded in some circumstances, if eALS has not been available. Any course above £300 should have rationale included in the ALM application. If the first ALS/ eALS attempt is failed, we will fund one further attempt. Resident Doctors should always use in-house eALS/ ALS where available, and external courses should sought at the lowest possible cost.
OOP and LTFT: Resident Doctors on Maternity and OOPT have access to the Study Leave budget, but those on other OOP periods do not. Occasional allowance is made for those looking to book in advance to attend an event taking place after their return to Programme from OOPR/ OOPE. This request would need to be made directly to the Trust Study Leave team (see Contacts under Other) and if agreed, a form would need completing. ALM cannot be used as those on OOP are not linked to a post on ALM.
LTFT doctors in training will have full access to the study budget, pro rata.
PG qualifications: PG Certificates, Diplomas and Master’s degrees can only be funded if required for your curriculum attainment, for example Nuclear Medicine. This is clearly curricular in nature and should be funded in full, including travel costs (usual caveats of cheapest fare etc).
If the course can be voluntarily extended to a Diploma or Master’s qualification, NHSE TV will not support this extra year cost.
The budget is designed to support resident Doctors in achieving their curriculum requirements to reach CCT.
Study Leave on zero days: Agreement can be sought with the department to take this at later date as a day in lieu. Approval of the Study Leave is still required as normal.
Period of Grace: Doctors in a ‘Period of Grace’ have no access to the study leave budget under any circumstances, as by definition, they are no longer in training.
Maternity: Study Leave can be used during maternity leave, we recommend this is done closer to the return date where possible.
For all doctors returning from maternity leave, ALS will be approved in line with Supported Return to Training and should be supported.
You can use one of your KIT (keeping in touch) days for this activity if you are still within your maternity leave period.
Private Study: Private study leave for the purpose of home-based revision will normally be taken within six weeks from the date of the exam and normally runs from Monday to Friday. Doctors in training may take up to five days in any training year, which is taken from overall 30 day allowance. Only one period of private study leave per exam is allowed. Please ensure you provide proof of booking the exam to your local Trust Study Leave Officer when submitting your application form.
Private study may be considered for writing up research as part of a PhD, subject to the same limit on days.
Foundation trainees must refer to their school specific study leave guide for information on private study leave.
Five days of private study leave is five days in one training year. Whether this is taken as one period of five days, or the five days are spread over multiple sessions is down to the trainee requirement and the Trust being able to release them from clinical activities.
Car insurance: Trainees will need business (class 1) insurance as this will cover them for any travel for work purposes, including travelling to another site and attending courses.
Stat man training: It is important that Statutory and Mandatory training is completed, however it is a matter for the Trust to decide if authorisation of, and attendance at events can be granted prior to the completion of the Mandatory or Statutory training. NHSE do not fund stat man training.
ITP posts:
Contacts:
NHSE study leave team: england.studyleave.tv@nhs.net
IM Support (for ALM issues): england.imsupport.south@nhs.net
Trust Study Leave teams:
MKUH: studyleave.requests@mkuh.nhs.uk
OUH: studyleave.officer@ouh.nhs.uk
Bucks: bht.studyleaveapplications@nhs.net
Frimley: fhft.medicalworkforce@nhs.net
Oxford Health: medicalstaffing@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk
RBH: medical.workforce@royalberkshire.nhs.uk