Annual Leave
You must keep a record of all leave taken during your training programme. Any leave in addition to standard annual leave needs to be added to your ePortfolio so it can easily be viewed by the ARCP panel (this can be done by e-mailing Gpportfolio.tv@hee.nhs.uk),
The annual leave entitlement for a full-time doctor is as follows, based on a standard working week of five days:
a. On first appointment to the NHS: 27 days
b. After five years’ completed NHS service: 32 days
Where the doctor’s contract or placement is for less than 12 months, the leave entitlement is pro rata to the length of the contract or placement.
A doctor working less than full time will be allocated leave on a pro rata basis.
Study Leave
Study leave needs to be directly relevant to your GP training and part of your PDP.
Trainees should not normally take study leave during a VTS teaching session as these are already educational. If there are special circumstances in which a trainee feels study leave may be appropriate during VTS teaching the trainee should approach the PDs in advance to discuss whether this can be approved.
ST1/2
All trainees in the deanery have an allowance of up to 30 days study leave per year. In ST1/2 this will include at least 20 days per year of locally provided educational activity including obligatory training, speciality and VTS teaching programmes. This leaves 10 days for discretionary study leave each year so in a six month post a trainee may apply for up to 5 days study leave.
ST3
All trainees in the deanery have an allowance of up to 30 days study leave per year. In ST3 you already have well above this entitlement accounted for by your Tuesday day release. You may apply for a discretionary additional 5 days study leave from your practice in the ST3 year.
Principles
Study leave is an allowance for doctors in training, but it is not an entitlement; the needs of patients should ultimately take precedence. However, the inability of Trusts or practices to adhere to minimum levels of study leave will call into question the recognition of such posts/practices for training.
The purpose of the study leave budget is to enhance doctors’ progress towards satisfactory completion of specialty training, including completion of professional examinations and relevant diplomas.
Study leave should be planned and informed by a Personal Development Plan.
Study leave should relate to the ultimate general practice career goal of the doctor.
Study Budget
Please see the GP school website for details of study leave funding whilst in a GP post and whilst in a hospital post.
Sick Leave and Unscheduled Leave
The maximum absence from training allowed in any ST year (other than allowed annual or study leave) is two weeks. The Certification Unit at the RCGP consider two weeks to be 14 days, counting weekends whether or not the registrar would have been scheduled to work the days in question. For example, if you were off work from a Friday to a Monday the Certification Unit will count this as 4 days. Any leave in excess of the 14 days in a training year must be made up by an additional period training.
Please notify susan.smith@ouh.nhs.uk, the deanery via gpadmin.tv@hee.nhs.uk, your current rotation employer and the single lead employer (https://sharedservices.sthk.nhs.uk/lead-employer/key-service-contacts/) of any sick leave or unscheduled leave.