Discretionary study leave applications: What counts and how to apply

Overview

This article explains discretionary study leave under London PGMDE arrangements.

Key principles

Any course or other study leave activity not on the pre-approved course list has to be treated as discretionary study leave.

Discretionary study leave requests are considered case by case. For funding to be provided, approval is required by both the relevant Training Programme Director (TPD) and Head of School, or Associate Dental Dean for Dental trainees.

Who this article applies to

This article applies to postgraduate medical and dental doctors in training who hold a National Training Number and are in a London placement in an approved training post.

See the article on who is eligible and what can be funded for general study leave requirements.

Approval principles

All discretionary study leave should be applied for and approved in advance. Retrospective applications will be rejected.

Approval considers training relevance, service impact, cost, and availability of funding.

Course lists are provided on PGMDE Support Portal (PSP) for each specialty, identifying all essential and supporting courses which have prior approval for specified grades of resident doctor. Any course or conference which is not specified on the course list for the given specialty and grade of resident doctor will require prior discretionary approval.

Conditions and limitations on funding

All international study leave activities (courses and conferences) require discretionary approval. Only one funded international study leave activity is permitted per training programme, except for run-through programmes when two are allowed, one in the core training years and one in the higher training years. Funding for international events will only be provided for either the conference/course fee or the travel and accommodation, whichever is the lower amount.

For exam preparation courses, resident doctors are able to claim for one course per exam component per sitting. Additional courses for the same exam would require discretionary approval, as would courses for any exam resits

No funding is available for consultant or interview preparation courses.

When approving your application, your Head of School will confirm the amount of funding that has been allocated, subject to available budget within a given year. Heads of School may agree partial funding for particularly expensive courses.

The following expense limits also apply:

How to apply

All time off for study leave, including discretionary study leave, must be supported by the resident doctor’s educational supervisor. Applications for discretionary study leave funding must also be supported by the educational supervisor and be submitted to the TPD, ideally using the discretionary study leave template request form provided on PSP. Supporting documentation must demonstrate curriculum relevance and cost justification. If the TPD approves the case, they will forward it to the Head of School. If the case is approved, the resident doctor will be notified of approval and invited to complete the discretionary study leave application form on PSP. This will enable the HET study leave team to issue a discretionary approval code to be used on the resident doctor’s subsequent expenses claim. Claims for funding for discretionary study leave activities cannot be submitted without a valid approval code.

Once the approval code has been received, except for resident doctors undertaking Palliative Medicine higher training, expense claims should be submitted via the resident doctor’s Employing Body’s local study leave expenses process, quoting the discretionary course code. Resident doctors undertaking Palliative Medicine higher training should submit claims to the London study leave team, which will forward approved claims on to the Palliative Medicine Lead Employer for payment through the next payroll run.  Funding claims may be submitted as soon as approval is received and costs are incurred. They should be submitted no later than 3 months after the date of the course or conference, subject to any additional time restrictions specified in the Employing Body’s study leave expenses process.

Claims must be accompanied by copies of receipts or other evidence of expenditure, as required by the Employing Body’s study leave expenses process.

For a summary of the full process from application to reimbursement, please see the study leave process flowchart here.

When funding may need to be returned to the Employing Body

If an expense claim is made prior to attendance of the discretionary study leave event and then the resident doctor is unable to attend the event for any reason, the Employing Body has the right to recover the funding from the resident doctor. The amount to be recovered may be reduced if the resident doctor is able to be provide evidence that some of their expenses are non-refundable.

If funding is provided that unintentionally exceeds the amounts allowed by the London PGMDE study leave arrangements, the Employing Body may need to recover the overpayment from the resident doctor. Also if, for an international study leave activity, funding is provided for both the course/conference fee and travel and accommodation, the overpayment may need to be recovered.

Further information and support

Further guidance is available in related articles on the London PGMDE Support Portal (PSP). You can also access the study leave course lists and the current national relocation guidance. 

Resident doctors should approach their Employing Trust for guidance on the expenses claim process. Palliative Medicine resident doctors may approach the London study leave team for guidance on their expenses claim process. All resident doctors should first discuss their training needs with their educational supervisor.

Resident doctors should access the course lists through PSP.

Resident doctors should obtain the discretionary study leave application form from PSP.

Related articles

• Study leave: who is eligible and what can be funded
• Study leave: locally delivered courses and claiming by Trusts

Last reviewed

Last reviewed: October 2026