NHS Study Leave and CPD Funding Explained

Study leave and CPD funding is a genuinely important topic for a huge number of NHS staff thinking about further qualifications or professional development, but the actual rules are fragmented — formal and well-documented for one group (doctors and dentists in training), and much more locally variable for everyone else. A lot of what's searchable online blurs the two together, or assumes what applies to doctors applies equally to all NHS staff, which isn't accurate. This guide draws that distinction clearly. It's independent guidance and isn't affiliated with the NHS, NHS England, DHSC, or any specific trust or deanery.

Two genuinely different systems, not one national policy

The most important thing to understand before looking at any specific figure is that "NHS study leave" isn't one single, uniform entitlement that applies the same way to everyone. There are effectively two different systems in play:

• ✓ Doctors and dentists in training and non-training grades — study leave here is most formally established, with dedicated study leave policies at most trusts, generally structured around training and revalidation requirements and coordinated alongside postgraduate deaneries and training programmes
• ✓ Agenda for Change (non-medical) staff — study leave and CPD support exists, but is typically governed by local trust policy rather than a single national framework, meaning the actual entitlement can vary significantly from one trust to another

If you're an AfC member of staff, it's worth being clear-eyed about this distinction: you shouldn't assume you automatically have the same formal, structured study leave entitlement that a doctor in training has, even if you work at the same trust. Your actual position depends on your own trust's local policy.

What study leave for doctors and dentists in training generally covers

Where a formal study leave policy is in place — most established for doctors and dentists in training and non-training grades — it generally covers activities that support maintaining professional registration and revalidation requirements:

• • Courses directly relevant to training or professional development
• • Conferences relevant to the individual's specialty or training programme
• • Exams required as part of training or professional progression
• • Other similar activities that support meeting professional registration and revalidation requirements

The exact structure — how much leave is available, how it's funded, and how requests are approved — depends on the specific trust's policy and, for doctors in training, coordination with the relevant postgraduate deanery or training programme, so the precise entitlement should be checked against your own current training programme documentation rather than assumed from a general description.

The commonly-cited funding figure: 50% up to £3,000

For staff considering postgraduate study directly related to their role — a job-related degree, a masters, or an externally accredited course — one general funding figure that's reasonably well-established and commonly cited is:

• ✓ NHS funding support of 50% of the cost of the course
• ✓ Up to a maximum of £3,000 a year

It's important to present this correctly: this is a commonly-cited level of support, not a universal, guaranteed entitlement that applies identically at every trust for every course. Whether it applies to your specific situation depends on your trust's or scheme's current policy, how directly your intended course relates to your role, and the funding actually available in a given year. Always confirm your own trust's or scheme's current position directly — through your line manager, your trust's learning and development team, or the specific funding scheme documentation — before budgeting around this figure.

How to actually access study leave or CPD funding

If further study is part of a bigger move into a new NHS profession or specialism, our how-to-become guides cover the training routes themselves: nursing, medicine, midwifery, paramedic practice, pharmacy and physiotherapy.

Why you can rely on this page

• ✓ We draw a clear, honest distinction between the formal position for doctors/dentists in training and the locally-governed position for AfC staff, rather than blurring the two
• ✓ The 50%-up-to-£3,000 funding figure is presented explicitly as commonly-cited, not a universal guarantee
• ✓ We consistently point you to your own trust's or deanery's current policy as the authoritative source, rather than presenting a generic description as definitive
• ✓ This guide is independent and not affiliated with the NHS, NHS England, DHSC, or any specific trust or deanery

Related NHS careers guides

This guide is provided for general information only, is not affiliated with the NHS, NHS England, DHSC, or any specific trust or deanery, and is not careers or financial advice — for your own exact study leave entitlement and available funding, check your trust's current policy or, for doctors and dentists in training, your training programme director or deanery.