The short answer
GP0001 is the budget code NHS England uses for GP trainee exam preparation courses, including SCA and AKT preparation. On the London and KSS approved lists it carries a cap of £600 per AKT or SCA course, and it is classed as an external, supporting activity available at every training stage. If your deanery uses approved-list codes, GP0001 is the one your SCA course claim goes under.
What GP0001 is
On the London and KSS General Practice approved lists, GP0001 is defined as: "Exam preparation course relevant to level of training (max 1 per sitting)" at "Max £600 per AKT or RCA/SCA preparation course", marked external and supporting, available across ST1, ST2 and ST3 (KSS General Practice Approved List, revised March 2026; London approved study leave list, September 2025). London's guidance confirms both AKT and SCA preparation courses are claimed "using code GP0001", each up to £600.
It sits alongside related codes you may meet: TRAC0001 for travel and accommodation to attend exams (no exam fees), and GP0017 for free internal AKT revision via the PSU. Knowing GP0001 specifically is useful because it is the line your SCA course claim maps to on these approved lists.
What GP0001 does and does not cover
It covers one exam preparation course per sitting, up to £600, for AKT or SCA. It does not cover exam fees (those are excluded from every study budget, with the separate England reimbursement route covering the fee itself), and it does not cover a second course in the same sitting without going through discretionary approval. In London, a question-bank or resource claim uses up your single GP0001 course, so choose deliberately.
Which deaneries use it
GP0001 appears explicitly on the London and KSS approved lists and in London's guidance. Other deaneries fund the same thing, an SCA preparation course, but may not surface the code to trainees: the Midlands, North West, North East, Yorkshire and Humber and others each have their own approved-list mechanics. If your region does not mention GP0001, you are still claiming the same category of activity, just under a different internal reference. Your ES or study leave team can tell you the local code.