NHS Wales Practice Placement Expenses: Transport, Car Use, and Accommodation, Exercises of Management of Health Service

Download NHS Wales Practice Placement Expenses: Transport, Car Use, and Accommodation and more Exercises Management of Health Service in PDF only on Docsity! 1 of 8 A guide to Practice Placement Expenses (Feb2022) A University guide to Practice Placement Expenses for NHS Wales bursary students 2 of 8 A guide to Practice Placement Expenses (Feb2022) Contents 1. Definition of Practice Placement Expenses 2. Who is entitled to claim? 2.1 Students who started their course on or after 1 September 2014. 2.2 Students who started their course before 1 September 2014 3. Transport 3.1 General guidance 3.2 Use of motor vehicles 3.3 Car parking and tunnel/bridge tolls 3.4 Additional travel whilst on placement 3.5 Use of hire cars 3.6 Use of taxis 4. Accommodation costs 5. How do students make a claim for placement expenses? 5.1 Student responsibilities 5.2 University administrator responsibilities 5 of 8 A guide to Practice Placement Expenses (Feb2022) 3.2 Use of motor vehicles Students are expected to use public transport. If they choose to use their own motor vehicle they may only claim the cost of travelling by public transport where this is less than the appropriate mileage costs. Students must always use the most direct route available when travelling to and from their placement. When other cheaper forms of travel are unsuitable or unavailable for practice placement travel, students must gain agreement from their university, in advance of the placement, that their own motor vehicle can be used and this must be certified on any claims made by the student. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain confirmation from their insurers that they have adequate cover for all risks associated with the use of the motor vehicle whilst travelling to and from the placement. This should also cover carrying any passengers if the student will be taking other students with them. Students travelling by private motor vehicle should be made aware that they do so at their own risk. The provision for reimbursement of the costs of travel by private motor vehicle do not constitute any acceptance of liability by their university, Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW), NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership (NWSSP) Students Awards Services (SAS) or any other NHS body for the risks arising from the use of the private motor vehicle concerned. . If a student will also be driving other NHS funded students to the placement site, they may claim an extra amount per mile for each additional student. These students must also be eligible to claim placement travel expenses and the driver must be insured to carry passengers. The passenger’s details, including their SAS reference number, will need to be provided. Mileage cannot be claimed if a family member or partner drives the student to and/or from practice placements. Checking mileage claims To confirm that a student is claiming the correct mileage for their practice placement journey students must state on the claim form which recognised route planner tool they used, such as, RAC, AA or Google maps. The route planner used should be noted on the claim form along with details of any change in the route taken e.g. due to road works/closures. Please check this route against what the student has stated before you approve the claim. 6 of 8 A guide to Practice Placement Expenses (Feb2022) 3.3 Car parking and tunnel/bridge tolls Students may claim back the cost of car parking and tunnel/bridge tolls if, combined with their mileage, this makes the daily cost exceed the normal daily cost to university. Where this is the case students can make a claim for the difference. Receipts (electronic or paper) must be supplied by the student in order to claim these costs. Car parking & tolls cannot be reimbursed where mileage is not being claimed. 3.4 Additional travel whilst on placement Additional mileage/travel costs may be claimed if a student must travel to other clinical placement sites, and/or to patients’ home addresses (if the student is not given free transport). Any community mileage incurred must still exceed the cost of the student’s daily mileage to and from their normal place of study. Community mileage on its own will not be reimbursed if it is not in excess. Example A: Daily travel to normal place of study = 35 miles per day Community mileage plus mileage to and from placement site = 25 miles per day No claim allowed as it is not in excess of the normal daily travel. Example B: Daily travel to normal place of study = 35 miles per day Daily travel to placement site PLUS community mileage = 40 miles per day A claim of 5 miles per day allowed. 3.5 Use of hire cars The use of hire cars can only be claimed for if this was the only practical or the cheapest way of conducting the placement. If this is the case then the university must supply the student with a letter which officially certifies that this is the only practical or cheapest way of travelling to and from the placement. This should always be agreed with the student in advance of the placement. Receipts for the hire car must always be submitted to you with these claims. When a hire car has been used students can only claim:  the cost of hiring the car (receipts required)  the cost of any petrol that the student has put into the car (receipts required)  the cost of any car parking/tunnel tolls (receipts required) Students cannot claim the mileage rate per mile when using a hire car. 7 of 8 A guide to Practice Placement Expenses (Feb2022) 3.6 Use of taxis The use of taxi’s can be considered by HEIs in in ‘Extreme Circumstances’. ‘Extreme circumstances’ is defined as ‘no public transport available and use of own transport is not an option when a student is required to attend an early or late shift on placement’. HEIs to advise HEIW of future placements where access to public transport can be problematic. Where taxis are used not in ‘extreme circumstances’ the student will only be reimbursed at the public transport rate. The university must supply the student with a letter which officially certifies that the use was unavoidable and has been agreed. This letter should also outline the reason why this method of transport was used. Receipts should always be submitted with these types of claims. Students who have the use of a mobility car are expected to use this to travel to and from practice placements and claim the normal travel mileage rates. They will not be reimbursed for cost of taxis for these journeys. The cost of air fares , refreshments, sleeper berths, phone calls and any other expenses which are related to the student’s placement will not be reimbursed. 4. Accommodation costs Accommodation costs can be claimed up to £65 per night, this limit is on a temporary basis and will be reviewed in November 2022. Relevant proof must always be supplied to you in order to support accommodation claims. Universities should not process claims where evidence has not been provided. If for some reason a student cannot obtain the required proof then their claim cannot be considered. If a student has to live away from their normal term-time accommodation during a period of practice placement, they may claim for the cost of any temporary accommodation on or near their practice placement site if it was not practical for them to travel there from their usual accommodation each day. As a rule of thumb students who are required to travel for more than an hour from their university base to access placement should be offered accommodation. A student may only claim for periods when they are undertaking a practice placement. Any breaks in the placement will not be reimbursed as dual accommodation costs only apply while the student is actually attending a placement. However, if their temporary accommodation is their parental/family/own home, they will not be able to make a claim for their accommodation costs. In addition any periods where a student is not being charged for either of the places of accommodation cannot be claimed for. Students may claim the cost of one weekly return journey between their normal term time accommodation and their temporary accommodation.