Clinical Impact Awards: guidance
Information about the awards process for applicants, employers, assessors and award holders. The 2025 awards will open on 1 April 2025.
Register and log in to the awards portal to:
- apply for an award
- support an employee’s application
- update your contact details
- appeal an unsuccessful application
Changes for the 2025 awards round
Feedback from focus groups with applicants, award holders, employers and regional assessors in autumn 2024 highlighted the need to revise some of our processes. Based on this, we have made changes to the application process and payment policy for the 2025 awards round. These changes apply to applicants employed in both England and Wales.
Employer sign-off
Employers will no longer have to write citations for each applicant. Instead, they will be asked to verify that the applicant is meeting their contractual obligations, has been truthful in their application, and whether there are any investigations and sanctions in place. Employers can still detail any concerns they may have, but this information will only be available to the central Advisory Committee on Clinical Impact Awards team who will investigate any issues raised.
Employers will also be asked about their organisation’s Care Quality Commission or Health Inspectorate Wales rating. Regulator ratings will no longer be requested from the applicant.
Award payments
New award payments will no longer be backdated for the first year. From 2025 onwards, all new awards will be granted from 1 April the year following application. This means that awards in the 2025 round will start on 1 April 2026.
Applicants successful in the 2024 round will still receive backdated payments. The new rule will only apply to the 2025 awards round and subsequent years.
2025 awards round: guidance
The applicants’ guide is for NHS consultant doctors, dentists and academic GPs applying for a new national Clinical Impact Award in 2025. The employers’ guide is for employers who are supporting an application.
Guidance for assessors will be published in April.
Eligibility criteria
Change of circumstances: guide for NCIA or NCEA award holders
This guide sets out how and when to tell us if your employment circumstances change after gaining an award.
Updates to this page
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Added 'Clinical Impact Awards 2025: employers' guide'.
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Added information about changes to the processes and policy for the 2025 awards round. Added 2 new documents: 'Clinical Impact Awards 2025: applicants' guide' and 'Eligibility for a national Clinical Impact Award'. Removed the guidance for the 2024 awards.
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Added 'Clinical Impact Awards 2025: application timetable'.
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Added 'Clinical Impact Awards 2024: outcome' and removed guidance relating to the 2023 awards round.
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Added 'Clinical Impact Awards 2024: assessors' guide'.
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Added 'National Clinical Impact Awards: resources for applicants and employers'.
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Added 'Clinical Impact Awards 2024: employers' guide'.
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Added guidance on change of circumstances for current award holders.
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First published.