Leave Guidance

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Leave Guidance

Information from the KSS

Written by Dr Tracey Collins

General Guidelines

In ST3 year annual leave is 30 days plus 8 bank holidays.

In ST1 and ST2 annual leave is 27 days plus 8 bank holidays.

Please give plenty of notice for annual and study leave. Annual leave will be expected to be taken evenly through out the year unless under special circumatance(please speak to CS,ES and PD).

Once sick leave exceeds 2 weeks per year,this will affect your training and training period may have to be extended.

KSS Deanery Study Leave Guidance

The following principles guided the development of the national guidelines:

Study Leave should:

enhance clinical, education and training
be planned as far in advance as possible, as an integral part of the education and training process
provide education and training not easily acquired in the clinical setting or locally, e.g. acquisition of a theoretical knowledge base such as basic sciences, statistics, etc.
support Delivery of Curriculum Targets.

“All trainees should be encouraged to develop coherent plans for Study Leave early in their Specialty post or programme or StR training programme”.

Download the full study leave guidance
KSS Study Leave Claim Form

Entitlement to Study Leave

Specialist Registrars, Specialty Registrars, F2 Doctors and Dental Post-Registration House Officers are entitled to up to a maximum of 30 days in a year (the year being calculated from the date of commencement of appointment or rotation). Leave to sit examinations necessary for the career advancement for the trainee is allowable but does not count against the annual Study Leave entitlement.

Trainees in Locum Specialty posts, those in Fixed Term Specialty Training Appointments (FTSTAs) and Locum Appointments for Training (LATs) exceeding three months are entitled to Study Leave pro rata. There is no entitlement to Study Leave for Locum Appointments for Service (LAS).

The following will normally be treated as part of the allowed entitlement:

For Specialty trainees attendance at Deanery half-day or day release courses including “Regional Teach-ins” which take the trainee away from service e.g. when all the SpRs, StRs in the specialty travel to one central Trust or University Department for postgraduate teaching, will normally count as up to 20 days out of the 30 days entitlement per annum (leaving 10 days for other approved purposes). When such courses are counted against this study leave allowance the Deanery in consultation with the Specialty Training Committee should have approved the course. This is subject to change.
Similarly Foundation Year 2 trainees will have half days or full days organised for generic Foundation training by local Programme Directors. Tasters (focussed experience and participation) may also be arranged for up to 5 days away from service. As an absolute minimum 10 days per annum of protected teaching time.
Similarly, General Practice ‘Registrars’ (GPStRs) who have half-days or full days organised for the GP Specialty training Programme by Programme Directors, will have up to15 days of this time counted against their study leave allowance.
Leave for private study is limited to a maximum of one week within a month of an examination (except F2).
Other paid employment must not be taken during any period of Study Leave: infringement of this rule is a disciplinary offence.
In the interests of equity between specialties and training rotations, weekly half-day or full-day sessions for research or private study recommended by Colleges and Faculties may be counted as part of the trainees’ study leave allowance. Trainees should agree plans for this time with their Educational Supervisors and Programme Directors in advance and provide evidence of objectives having been achieved.

The following are not usually counted against the annual allowance:

Other bleep-free teaching time within the Trust in which the trainee is based and involvement in NHS activities such as audit, risk management and clinical governance activities: they are intrinsic to employment in the NHS.
Leave to sit examinations necessary for the career advancement of the trainee in his/her chosen specialty. Usually only two attempts are permitted within
"Study Leave": it may be necessary for “annual leave” to be taken for third and subsequent attempts.

Flexible trainees are entitled to periods of study leave, with funding, pro rata to their sessional commitments. In this Deanery, at the discretion of the local Clinical Tutor and Associate Dean for Flexible Training, funding in a year may be the same as that allowed for full-time trainees: this will enable flexible trainees to undertake a necessary course of study which requires the entire annual funding allowance. They will not expect to go on similar courses two years in succession, and they will not be granted extra “time out” of sessional commitments.

Faculty Handbook

For more information, please read these sections in the handbook:

Study Leave Guidance – ST1/ST2
- Annual Leave – ST1/ST2
- Residentials in General Practice – ST1/ST2
Study Leave Guidance – ST3
- Annual Leave – ST3
- Motor Mileage Allowance – ST3