The short answer
In the North East and North Cumbria, one RCGP-provided or accredited SCA course, including AKT and SCA educational packages, is on the automatic approval list: one per trainee during training. Anything outside that automatically approved list is discretionary, aimed at GPs, and comes with an expectation that you pay 50% of the cost yourself. So the accredited route is the one that gets you full funding.
How much you get
The NHSE Education North East automatic approved course list names, at the top: "RCGP provided or accredited AKT and SCA courses including AKT and SCA educational packages", with "One course attendance during training for the AKT and one for the SCA." (NHSE Education NE Automatic Approved Course List, effective 05.09.2025). Occasionally a TPD may decide a further course is needed, documented in Educator Notes and checked before any additional claim is reimbursed.
The overarching NE study leave policy sets no individual cap: "There is no 'cap' imposed to any individual; each study leave episode applied for is considered for approval on its own merit" (NHSE NE Study Leave Policy, version 11, August 2025). But note the £500 review trigger: applications where course fees exceed £500 are reviewed by additional approvers (TPD, Head of School or Deputy Director) before a decision.
Does it cover SCA prep courses?
Yes, cleanly, provided the course is RCGP provided or accredited, or is a recognised AKT/SCA educational package. That is the automatically approved route with full funding. Step outside it and you are in discretionary territory: the "approval for all other courses" section requires the course to be aimed at GPs, agreed in advance at an ES review, and "The DiT will be expected to pay for 50% of the course/study/conference expenses". On subscriptions the policy is blunt: "NHSE Education NE cannot support DiTs applying for annual subscriptions to any learning organisation." A course or educational package qualifies; a subscription does not.
Is the SCA exam fee itself reimbursed?
Not from the study budget: exam fees will not be reimbursed, though travel and accommodation to sit UK exams is contributed to. Under the June 2026 resident doctor contract agreement, doctors in England can reclaim their first two SCA attempts for exams sat from 1 April 2026, through their employing trust. Details: Is the SCA exam fee reimbursed?.
How to claim
- Apply via Accent Leave Manager (ALM) and do not pay before the application is fully approved: the list warns that paying before approval means the claim is "automatically rejected for reimbursement."
- Regional teaching is deducted from your rotational allowance first; apply for the SCA course once you have not exceeded your allowance through regional teaching.
- Note the £500 additional-approver trigger and build in time.
NHS study budget
Most trainees can claim our Complete SCA Course on the NHS study budget.
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Deaneries decide locally
Most English deaneries fund one SCA preparation course (typically up to £600, code GP0001), but each applies its own rules: some fund two, some cap at £500, some run named lists, and the devolved nations differ again. Select your deanery above for the specific position, with the policy evidence quoted.
“National default: one preparation course per exam, up to £600 (GP0001)”