HEE: Study Leave Newsletter
Newsletter from the Study Leave Team, Health Education England:
Dear trainees,
We are writing with a few updates with regards to study leave policies on international events and leadership courses.
International Study Leave
We wanted to provide a reminder on international study leave rules:
Please note that all international study leave events must be approved via the aspirational study leave process and will require an aspirational approval code in order to claim reimbursement. International, for the purposes of study leave, is defined as those events taking place outside the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Funding will be approved for the lower amount of either the course fee or the travel and accommodation expenses. In cases where the course fee has been waived, there is a cap of £500 maximum on travel and accommodation expenses.
With regards to Covid travel restrictions, please note that any international leave should align to current UK Government regulations and those of the host country. Any costs associated with quarantine expenses cannot be claimed from the HEE study leave budget. You should discuss any additional leave (either unpaid or paid) required for enforced quarantine periods with your employing Trust.
Online International Events – now aspirational
From 1st October 2021 onwards, all online international events will now require an aspirational approval code. Please note that this is a change to our previous policy, in which virtual events could be claimed using the general conference code from the course lists. If you are applying to attend a virtual international event please note that you will need to submit an aspirational study leave application. The full aspirational study leave application process can be found on our website here: https://lasepgmdesupport.hee.nhs.uk/helpdesk/attachments/7067965990. Please note that online international events will not count towards your international conference limit.
Leadership Courses
From 28th April 2021, all leadership courses that attract a cost have required approval via the aspirational study leave process. Trainees seeking leadership training should in the first instance access the free NHS Leadership Academy Edward Jenner or the LEEP programme delivered by an NHS Trust or HEE, and only seek to apply for a funded leadership course if these options are not available. Please see the FAQ here for more details on this: https://lasepgmdesupport.hee.nhs.uk/support/solutions/articles/7000064656-can-i-apply-for-a-leadership-management-course-.
Please do contact the study leave team if you have any questions about the study leave process. We can be reached via the following link on the PGMDE Support Portal: https://lasepgmdesupport.hee.nhs.uk/support/tickets/new?form_25=true.
Kind regards,
Study Leave Team