The Advisory Committee on Clinical Impact Awards (ACCIA) runs the national Clinical Impact Awards scheme for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in England. ACCIA also provides governance for awards for the Welsh Government.
Consultants can apply for a new award at any time after they have completed a full year in an eligible role, in a permanent NHS contract (fixed term and locum contracts are not eligible). Applications need to show what has been delivered that has made an impact at a national level, over and above the expectations defined in an applicant’s job plan.
What the national scheme rewards
The national scheme rewards consultants or academic GPs who deliver national impact above the expectations of their job role or other paid work. They specifically recognise the dissemination and implementation of that work and its impact on the wider NHS and public health. Applicants do not need to hold any local award or a previous NCEA to be eligible to for a national impact award.
To apply, applicants need to give evidence of impact across the 5 domains described above.
If an applicant successfully gains an award, it will last 5 years, backdated to 1 April 2024. For NCEA holders under transitional arrangements, awards will last 5 years from 1 April 2025.
More information about ACCIA and the NCIA scheme can be found on the ACCIA home page, including:
- - a list of all national award holders
- - personal statements from people who have received a new award
- - the members of our main committee and our sub-committees
- - a guide for applicants – with a supporting ‘quick guide’
- - a guide for assessors on how to assess and score applications
- - annual reports about each awards round
- - summaries of the minutes for the main committee’s meetings
Who can apply for an award
To apply for an NCIA, a doctor or dentist needs to be a fully registered medical or dental practitioner on the General Dental Council (GDC) special list, General Medical Council (GMC) specialist list or GP register.
The applicant must be:
- fully registered with a licence to practise
- a permanent NHS consultant or academic GP in a permanent clinical academic role in higher education at the same level as a senior lecturer or above
Applicants must have met both conditions for at least one year, on 1 April in the award year in which they are applying.
Further resources