Workforce, training and education
East Midlands

Study Leave Coordinators

NHSE's link to the Trust/Programme Office

Responsibilities include:

  • Providing information and guidance at Trust/GP Programme inductions/for new starters regarding local study leave process.
  • Providing information and guidance on NHSE EM policies and systems as well as local processes.
  • Processing of expenses (using local Trust processes).
  • Providing information/updates where required to NHSE EM on rota coordinator changes.
  • Act as the first point of contact for postgraduate doctors, dentists, and learners locally. 
  • For Primary Care, Study Leave Coordinators (i.e. GP Programme Managers) will also act as approvers at Sequence 40.

How to process expenses

  1. Log into Accent Leave Manager and go to All Expenses.
    accent_-_all_expenses.png
  2. Here you'll see all expenses that you have access to process (ie for your Trust/Programme). Find the relevant expenses in the list - you can use filters on the Surname, Forename, Expense Type, Start Date, and End Date fields to streamline this.
    accent_-_all_expenses_view.png
  3. Once you've opened the relevant expense claim, you'll see the below screen. NOTE: You will only be able to process claims for activities that have passed. Per the policy, claims cannot be paid before the activity has taken place.
    accent_-_expense_details_admin.png

On the right, you can see details about the leave, as well as the trainee's budget usage. You must ensure that the Status under Leave application summary on the right says 'Approved' - per the policy, expenses cannot be claimed for leave applications that have not yet been approved.
​If the request has not been approved, please follow the guidance below (“What if the leave request has not been approved but the applicant submits a claim?”) You can check the progress of the leave request by clicking on the 'Leave application' link under the Leave application summary.

NOTE: Any expenses processed without the leave being approved will not be funded by NHSE.

  1. Use the Claimed amount field to record the amount that the trainee is asking to claim.
     
  2. Check that the amount of the claim doesn’t exceed either the amount approved (Estimated Cost) and is in line with the authorised expenses and rates set out in the Study Leave Policy.
     
  3. Complete the Authorised amount with the amount to be paid to the trainee. This should not exceed either the Estimated cost or the rates specified in the Study Leave Policy.
     
  4. Put today's date in the Date paid field.
     
  5. Add any relevant Comments if appropriate.
     
  6. Click the Save button. This will automatically populate Claimed date with today’s date.
     
  7. Repeat steps 2-8 as necessary for any other expenses.
     
  8. For any estimated costs not being claimed by the trainee, click the Reject button. This will release the funds back to the trainee’s budget entitlement.​​

Relevant policies/guidance

 

What if the leave request has not been approved but the applicant submits a claim?
  • Inform the applicant that the claim cannot be processed as their leave application has not been approved on Leave Manager.
  • The best solution here is that the trainee contacts their leave approvers directly to action the request; leave requests should normally be fully approved prior to the trainee attending the activity.
  • Outstanding leave approvers can be checked and directly messaged in the Online Leave Approval section of the leave request.
  • If the leave approvers listed on the application are incorrect, please inform StudyLeave.EM@hee.nhs.uk
  • Any expenses processed on Intrepid where the associated leave request has not been fully approved in line with the Study Leave policy will not be reimbursed by HEE.
What if the leave request has been approved by the rota coordinator but not the TPD/HoS?

The expenses still cannot be processed until the application is fully approved. Due to the changes in national budgets and how we regionally manage study leave expenses, TPD/HoS approval is key in the application as they review the value for money and educational value of the application.

What if the applicant has not estimated expenses on their request?

The claim cannot be processed and should be rejected. There is an appeals process outlined in the Study Leave Policy which can be followed by the applicant, should they wish to appeal this decision.

What if the expenses claimed are higher than the estimated cost?

Expenses can only be authorised up to the amount estimated by the applicant. The authorised amount should not exceed the estimated cost. If you are in any doubt, please contact StudyLeave.EM@hee.nhs.uk.

What if the applicant has forgotten to enter some of the expenses?

Only the expenses prospectively entered onto the application can be processed – if there are any expenses which were not estimated on the application, these should not be processed. There is an appeals process outlined in the Study Leave Policy which can be followed by the applicant, should they wish to appeal this decision.

Can the standard rates outlined in the Study Leave Policy be exceeded?

The rates in the Study Leave Policy are based on the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service and are standardised nationally; they cannot be exceeded.

What should I do if the expenses on the claim exceed the overall budget for the applicant?

Postgraduate doctors and dentists budgets can be increased on request (see the policy on our website) prior to them submitting a request on Leave Manager. This is so that all expenses can be estimated on the application. You should process the claim, only up to the amounts estimated on Leave Manager – even if they are lower than the claimed expenses.

The learner has not applied for study leave or expenses on Leave Manager, can they still apply for expenses?

If the application has not been submitted prospectively on Leave Manager, expenses cannot be claimed. In line with the Study Leave Policy, retrospective requests may be considered only in exceptional circumstances, where valid reasons for not applying exist. The claim should be rejected at this point and the trainee can follow the appeals process outlined in the Study Leave Policy

How will the Trust be reimbursed for expenses claims?

Each NHSE local office holds an Education Contract (previously a Learning & Development Agreement (LDA)) with all training employers in their region. On a quarterly basis, all claims marked as Passed For Payment (see guidance above) are reported from Leave Manager, linked to the relevant Trust, and payment for these claims is made through the Education Contract.

This is why it's vital for expenses to be properly recorded on Leave Manager; anything that is not recorded, or recorded in error, can affect the Education Contract payment, resulting in Trusts not being properly reimbursed.

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