Study Leave
for Postgraduate Doctors and Dentists in Training

This page provides step-by-step instructions for submitting an application on Accent Leave Manager and other user tasks. Please also refer to the Overview of Study Leave and the Frequently Asked Questions for more information and help. Please ensure that you read the relevant information on the website before contacting the NHSE study leave team.

ALM Approver User Guide

• Study leave budget
• Policy and guidance
• Process and deadlines
• Curriculum leave
• Regional Teaching and pre-approved courses
• Exam preparation courses
• Discretionary leave
• International leave
• Ineligible activities
• How to activate your account
• How to reset your password
• How to navigate the site
• How to navigate the dashboards
• How to read application forms
  • Leave details
  • Event details
  • Entitlements and budget
  • Cover and authorisation
  • Estimated expenses
  • Approval chain
• Expense allowances
• How to action an application
• What to do if an application needs amendments
• What to do if an application has been routed incorrectly
• What to do if an application needs to be cancelled
• How to set an out office
• How to request support

Study leave budget

Study leave exists to enable doctors and dentists in training to acheive the requirements of their specialty curriculum. Discretionary study leave may also be considered for activities that promote enhanced medical knowledge, personal development or support patient care. While individual study budgets and caps no longer exist, the overall study budget is finitie.

Training Programme Directors and Heads of School are responsible for monitoring and evaluating the range of funded activity to ensure that it is fit for purpose and provides quality and value for money. Where programmes provide the necessary training (eg via Regional Teaching) this should be prioritised over external courses. When reviewing study leave applications TPD approvers should consider the educational appropriateness, quality and value for money of any external activities.

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 Yorkshire and the Humber study leave operational guidance sets out our local NHSE study leave guidance and covers the process for applications and claiming expenses.

Approvers are strongly encouraged to familiarise themselves with the policy and guidance documents and also refer to them when reviewing study leave applications.

Guidance documents
 National Study Leave Policy
 Local YH Study Leave Operational Guidance
 Local YH Foundation Study Leave Guidance

Developing school guidance

School and specialty study leave guidance may be developed in relation to the national policy and local operational guidance. When updating school guidance please remove any references to individual study budgets or individual caps, as these no longer exist. Please also remove any reference to bursary processes as all study leave funding requests must follow the standard application process and applicants should not be asked to complete any additional forms outside ALM. However, per the policy, applicants should attach a supporting statement to any discretionary or international requests and study leave plans should be captured in the applicant's Personal Development Plan in their e-portfolio.

Specialty study leave guidance should outline:

• Courses and resources available via Regional Teaching and the Deanery
• External courses which may be appropriate for achieving or supporting curriculum requirements
• (Noting that external courses should only be considered where the requirement is not provided via Regional Teaching or the Deanery)
• Principles for evaluating discretionary requests in relation to the specialty

When developing school or specialty guidance, please avoid duplicating information that exists in the national policy and local operational guidance or Deanery study leave website - - this includes the Study Leave Overview, Frequently Asked Questions, ALM Applicant User Guide. Rather, please direct applicants to these sources by linking to them. Copies of the policy and guidance documents are also available on the Study Leave Overview page. TPD approvers can be directed to this page - ALM Approver User Guide.

Process and deadlines

Before submitting a study leave application on Accent Leave Manager, applicants must secure Rota Coordinator agreement for the time off and Educational Supervisor support for the educational appropriateness of the course/conference. Rota Coordinator agreement must be requested 8 weeks before the event using the local trust e-roster / process. Educational Supervisor support should be discussed as part of PDP planning and documented in the applicant's e-portfolio.

Once Rota Coordinator and Educational Supervisor support 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 to Medical Education for approval.

Study leave applications must be submitted on ALM in advance of the course/conference and applicants should wait for approval before making any payments. If an applicant chooses to pay for a course/conference prior to requesting or receiving approval, they risk incurring costs which may not be reimbursed. Retrospective applications may considered if there is an exceptional reason and the application is received within 6 weeks of the event. Applications received outside of 6 weeks of the event would not normally be considered.

If the applicant intends to claim expenses after the event, estimated expenses must be included on the ALM application. Final expenses are authorised by Medical Education after the event and will only be reimbursed in line with the nationally agreed rates for subsistence and travel. Claims must be accompanied by receipts and evidence of attendance.

Curriculum leave

NHS England is committed to ensuring that doctors and dentists in training have opportunities to meet their curriculum objectives. Where specialty training programmes provide the necessary training via Regional Teaching, this should be prioritised over external courses. Where external courses are requested, they should be taken as close to the applicant's base as possible. When considering requests for external courses, TPD approvers should consider whether the course is aligned to the curriculum, receives positive feedback from trainees and faculty, and represents quality and value for money.

Regional Teaching and pre-approved courses

Applications for Regional Teaching and pre-approved courses will be routed in ALM to Medical Education for approval. Regional Teaching is a study / clinical skills day organised by the specialty training programme, or a school conference. Applicants may request travel and (if required) subsistence expenses only for attending Regional Teaching. Pre-approved course lists are provided by the specialty school and imported to ALM by the NHSE Study Leave team.

Exam preparation courses

Exam preparation courses may be provided locally by the specialty training programme via Regional Teaching. Such courses should be accessed ahead of private courses as they offer broad support and value for money. Where exam preparation courses are not provided locally via Regional Teaching, one external preparation course or resource per exam would usually be funded. Additional exam preparation courses or activities may be considered in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Head of School. 

Discretionary leave

Activities that are not directly related to the achievement of curricula outcomes are classed as discretionary leave. Discretionary leave refers to career enhancing activity that adds value to the individual and supports the wider system. This may include educational or professional development opportunities that enhance the knowledge, skills and attitudes of the applicants or enhance any aspect of patient care but are not mapped to any direct curriculum requirements. All discretionary activity should be aligned with the applicant's overall career goals and documented in their PDP following discussion with their Educational Supervisor

All requests for discretionary leave should be considered carefully in relation to the applicant's learning needs and what can be accommodated within the overall budget. Discretionary leave may be fully or part funded if appropriate to reflect the applicant's commitment to their improvement.

International leave

Per the study leave policy international study leave is not an entitlement and should only be considered in exceptional circumtances. International leave should only be approved where the learning outcomes from the course/conference are not available in the UK. (Attendance at events organised by joint societies with a UK and Ireland remit is not considered as international leave).

As with discretionary leave, applicants must have a documented discussion with their Educational Supervisor about the international course/conference, including consideration of the requirement for international leave to meet curriculum requirements.

  
Please note: Where international leave is approved, NHS England will fund either the full cost of the course/conference fees or the cost of economy travel and accomodation, whichever is the lower amount. If the course/conference fee is waived by the course provider, NHSE will consider funding the cost of economy travel and accommodation. When approving international applications, approvers should add a comment to confirm what funding applies (fees or economy travel and accomodation).

Ineligible activities

The following activities are not normally eligible for study leave funding and should not normally be approved:

• Professional leave - Professional activities done outside of the requirements of the curriculum and or the employer/host organisation for professional bodies such as Royal Colleges, Faculties or the GMC/GDC cannot be supported from the study leave budget and should not be approved via ALM. Applicants should refer to their trust's professional leave policy. Attending interviews for NHS posts and assisting with specialty recruitment centres are also classed as professional leave, and not study leave.
• Clinical placements - Travel and accomodation costs for clinical placements, including placements outside the applicant's employing trust, cannot be reimbursed via study leave. Applicants should be referred to Relocation & Excess Travel.
• Academic research - If the applicant is on an academic programme, any study leave activities related to their academic research that is additional to specialty curriculum requirements cannot be funded from the NHSE study leave budget and should be funded by the funding body for the doctor's academic research (eg the University).
• Higher degrees - Postgraduate qualifications are no longer in curricula so would only be considered in exceptional circumstances. Any such applications must be rationalised by a commitment that the qualification will be integral to the postgraduate doctor’s future career. Travel expenses for higher degrees?
• Training required for specialty recruitment - Courses that are not required by the applicant's current training programme, but are required by the eligibility/selection criteria for a potential future training programme, should not be supported from the study leave budget. Exceptional circumstances may be considered by the Head of School.
• Training required by the employing trust - Courses that are required by the applicant's placement/employing trust but are not also a curriculum requirement, cannot be funded from the NHSE study leave budget and should not be approved via ALM. Courses/activities required as part of the applicant's employment, should be funded by the trust. (This includes ALS, ATLS, APLS, NLS where they are not a curriculum requirement for the applicant's stage of training.)
• Courses offered by NHS England/the Deanery - Where a course is offered by NHS England, the Deanery, or the specialty school, requests to attend a similar or equivelent external course should not normally be approved unless there are no available places on the NHSE/Deanery course.
  This includes Leadership & Management and Training the Trainers, which are offered as part of Professional Skills. Professional Skills courses can be booked via LSFD Maxcourse. Approvers can contact england.lsfdcourses.yh@nhs.net to confirm availability for upcoming course dates.

How to activate your account

ALM accounts are created automatically, and you should receive an activation email 8 weeks before your programme start date or previously when ALM launched. The account activation email is sent to the email address recorded for you in the NHSE Trainee Information System (TIS). Your ALM username is the email address in your TIS record.

To activate your account, please follow the instructions in the account activation email or use the Forgotten Password link on the ALM login page to request a password reset. There may be a delay before receiving the password reset email. Please check your junk/spam folder and consider adding NoReply@hicom.co.uk to your safe senders list.

To check or update the email address in your TIS record, please contact the relevant team below:

• Doctors/Public Health Registrars in Core or Higher Specialty Training: england.tis.yh@nhs.net. 
  [Doctors who started Core or Higher Specialty Training in or after August 2023 can lookup their record using TIS Self-Service.]
• Doctors in General Practice Training: england.gpplacements.yh@nhs.net
• Doctors in Foundation Training: england.foundation.yh@nhs.net
• Dentists in Training: england.dentalsupport.yh@nhs.net

Please note: When contacting any of the teams above, please state clearly that you wish to check or change the email address in your TIS record; as they are not able to help with Accent Leave Manager itself. If you change the email address in your TIS record, your ALM username will update overnight to match the new email address.

How to reset your password

To change your ALM password, please use the Forgotten Password link on the ALM login page. There may be a delay before receiving the password reset email. Please check your junk/spam folder and consider adding NoReply@hicom.co.uk to your safe senders list.

if you do not receive the password reset email, you may need to check the email address recorded for you in the NHSE Trainee Information System (TIS) - see above.

How to navigate the site

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Navigation menu

• Applications, Expenses
• Batch replace approvers
• Out of office
• Messages

Maintained by NHSE

• Entitlements / Budgets
• Approval chains
• Non-administrators
• Events

How to navigate the dashboards

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• All Applications
• All Expenses
• Export to Excel

How to read application forms

To create a new application on ALM, go to the Navigation Menu and click Leave Application.

Leave details

To view the status of an application, go to Navigation Menu > My Applications. Leave application status is displayed in the My Applications list. For more information, click and open the relevant application. 

The application status appears in the top right corner of the application (see 1 above). The Application ID also appears in the Leave Details section at the top of the page. If you need to contact us about a particular application, please quote the Application ID. This helps us to find the right application.

Begin by entering the initial leave details and checking the placement information displayed:

1. Enter a start and end date. If the dates span two placements, two applications will normally be needed.
2. Check the number of days. This can be adjusted, eg to reflect half-day courses or if the activity is taking place outside of work time and you do not intend to claim TOIL.
3. Check the placement details that appear. If the details are incorrect or an error message appears instead of your placement, please see the Study Leave FAQs for help.
4. Select the leave type. Please ensure you select the appropriate leave type. See below for descriptions of the different leave types.
5. Click save to save your application and move to the next page.

To view your notifications and messages in ALM, go to the Navigation Menu and click Message. You can also click the messages icon in the top right corner. 

System notifications are sent when an application is approved, rejected or cancelled. You can use the buttons at the top of the list to mark messages as read or delete them. Read and deleted messages can be found in the Read and Deleted tabs.

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International Study Leave

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How to action an application

To view your previous applications go to the Navigation Menu and click My Applications. All your draft and submitted applications will appear in your My Applications list.

Applications can be filtered or sorted by type, date, application status and other fields. If you wish to delete a draft, click the relevant checkbox and then click delete. Submitted applications cannot be deleted but if appropriate can be cancelled (see below).

What to do if an application needs amendments

More information about an application can be found in the Approval Chain section at the bottom of the page. The Approval Chain section lists the TPD and Medical Education approvers linked to the application. The following symbols help to indicate the approver / application status:

 Outstanding - Indicates active approver(s) who can approve or reject the application.

 Bypassed - Indicates bypassed approvers. Bypassed approvers can view the application but cannot approve or reject it.

 Pending - Indicates the next approvers in the chain. The application status for requests that are waiting an outcome is also shown as pending.

 Approved - Indicates that the application has been approved by the named approver. Please note: Some applications require more than one approver, so it is important to check the next sequence and the overall application status at the top of the page.

 Rejected - Indicates that the application has been rejected by the named approver. If an approver rejects an application, the application status will also change to rejected.

 Cancelled - Appears in the application status only and indicates that the application has been cancelled.

Sequence 20 in the approval chain typically refers to TPD approvers. Sequence 30 typically refers to Medical Education approvers. Other approvers who may be linked to an application include Heads of School and the NHSE Study Leave team. Most applications require only one approver but some applications require more than one approver. As noted above, it is essential to check the overall application status.

What to do if an application has been routed incorrectly

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What to do if an application needs to be cancelled

If you need to cancel an application, you can do so before the date of course / conference. To cancel an application:

1. Go to My Applications in the Navigation Menu,
2. Click on the relevant application to open it
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page
4. and then click Cancel Application 

If the course / conference date has passed, you will need to email Medical Education at your employing trust to ask them to cancel the application on your behalf.

Please note: Cancelled applications cannot be reinstated, so please be certain that you need to cancel your application before submitting the request.

How to set an out office

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How to request support

For help using ALM or claiming expenses, please contact the Medical Education at your employing trust. For technical support, feedback or guidance, please contact the NHSE Study Leave team. Please see the Overview of Study Leave page for the list of support contacts.

When emailing for support, please ensure that you include your GMC 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.