Study Leave - F2 Doctors Only

To apply for Study Leave, all Postgraduate Doctors in Training must complete the request via the online study leave system (Accent Leave Manager) which can be found here: Accent - Sign-In (hicom.co.uk). If you have any issues with logging in, please contact: FPstudyleave@hee.nhs.uk All requests must be submitted at least eight weeks prior to the first day of leave. Please refer to NHSE Study Leave policy at the bottom of this page for further information. 

Please find a link to the national communications video a guidance / FAQ’s document attached that has been developed providing important information to assist doctors in training when applying for study leave using Leave Manager.

All study leave must be planned and approved with your Educational Supervisor and Rota Coordinator. The Foundation School offer funding for ALS only. There is no funding for reimbursement of study leave courses and requests can be approved for time only.  

Tasters for LET Employed Doctors

All tasters must be planned and approved by your Educational Supervisor and Rota Coordinator. You must request taster leave at least eight weeks prior to the first day of leave.  If you wish to apply for a taster week, you must complete a Study Leave Request Form which can be found here: Overarching Local Policies and Documents (hee.nhs.uk). Once Part 1 and Part 2 of the form has been completed by your ES, please submit the form to stsft.fpadminteam@nhs.net for approval from the Trust. 

The Northern Foundation School state that Applications for an Out of Area Taster should only be approved in exceptional circumstances where prospective approval has been granted by the Foundation School:

"We would expect trainees to be able to undertake a taster within the HEE NE locality. Any external Taster applications would need to be discussed and agreed with the School first but are very unlikely to be approved other than in exceptional circumstances."

Taster applications can be accommodated within the Region given that we have 8 acute Trusts and 2 Mental Health Trusts. 

F2 doctors may utilise 1 or 2 days from their overall Taster allowance to prepare for a Royal College Exam which is aligned to their future career intentions however this is a specific HEE NE arrangement only and formal study leave should only be approved for time to sit the exam, not preparation/revision.

Self Development Time

Health Education England has suggested an average of 1 hour per week for FY1 doctors and 3 hours per week for FY2 doctors. Whilst protected SDT may be taken flexibily in each placement, this should be exception reported if missed. SDT can be clumped together in the form of a half-day every fortnight or a day every 4 weeks. In some clinical areas this is timetabled and in others will require local negotiation. In some rare examples longer spells of SDT can be taken if agreed with the ES. This should be for a specified activity. Please remember that this is paid time. You should remain contactable so that you can be recalled to the clinical workplace if required and be able to attend work at short notice.  

SDT FAQs for Trainees & Supervisors.pdf (hee.nhs.uk)

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