Guidance

Applicants' guide: 2025 awards round

Published 5 March 2025

Applies to England and Wales

About this guide

This guide is for NHS consultants, dentists and academic GPs who want to apply for a national Clinical Impact Award (NCIA), the scheme that replaced the previous national Clinical Excellence Awards (NCEAs) in 2022.

NCIAs exist as a retention and recognition scheme for senior clinicians who have the greatest national impact. We strongly encourage all eligible senior clinicians from all specialties, backgrounds and regions within England and Wales to apply. Similarly, employers may use appraisals and other performance review processes to actively encourage and support applications from all high-performing clinicians working in their organisations, especially doctors and dentists who may be from underrepresented groups.

This guide covers the 2025 NCIA award round in England and Wales and tells you:

• how the award scheme works
• who is eligible to apply
• how to apply for an award
• how your application is scored
• how to appeal

Read this guide before you start preparing your application. You should find everything you need to help you on the Clinical Impact Awards: guidance collection page.

If you have any questions that are not covered, you can contact us at:

• accia@dhsc.gov.uk for applicants working in England
• accia@wales.nhs.uk for applicants working in Wales

Application deadline

You must submit your application by 5pm on 27 May 2025. Any applications received after this will not be considered.

You cannot submit your application until the employer sign-off element has been completed. Ensure your employer is aware of your application and allow enough time for this to be done.

If you’re based in Wales

If you’re based in Wales, you’ll find anything extra you need to know throughout this guide.

Part 1: introduction

About ACCIA and the national Clinical Impact Awards scheme

The Advisory Committee on Clinical Impact Awards (ACCIA) runs the NCIA scheme for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in England. ACCIA provides guidance on the awards to the Welsh Government in Wales.

The national scheme recognises consultants, dentists and academic GPs who deliver national impact over and above the expectations of their job role or other paid work over the previous 5 years, or since a prior national award if within the last 5 years. The scheme specifically recognises the dissemination and implementation of that work and its impact on the wider NHS and health of the population at a national level.

You do not need to hold any local or national award to be eligible for an NCIA. You do not need to have previously held an award at any level.

Health ministers agree in principle to a limited number of new awards (up to 600) each year in England, so the selection process is very competitive. Three levels of award are available in England, from lowest to highest:

• national 1 (N1)
• national 2 (N2)
• national 3 (N3)

In Wales a lower level, national 0 (N0), also exists.

The awards last for 5 years and have an annual, non-pensionable value of:

• £10,000 (N0)
• £20,000 (N1)
• £30,000 (N2)
• £40,000 (N3)

You can apply for a new award at any time after you have completed a full year in an eligible role.

What you need to demonstrate

To be considered, your application needs to show what you have delivered that has had an impact at a national level, over and above the expectations defined in your job plan within the last 5 years.

There are 5 domains for you to tell us about your contributions and provide supporting evidence:

• developing and delivering a high-quality service
• improving the NHS through leadership
• education, training and people development
• innovation and research
• additional impact, in which you can provide other evidence, particularly if it relates to published NHS or other relevant health objectives

If you apply, you need to give dated evidence of impact across the 5 domains. Do not repeat evidence across more than one domain unless it has discrete impact in each domain as it will only be scored once. Only the evidence in these domains is scored - the other parts of your application are not scored but provide context for the assessment of your evidence within the domains.

Work in other countries is unlikely to be directly relevant for an award, so is not considered on its own. Overseas evidence may be supported if you can show that it has benefited the NHS and the health of the UK public directly. We do not give awards for, or otherwise credit, stand-alone overseas work.

See the published personal statements for an idea of the breadth of work and impact that is currently being recognised and rewarded under the scheme.

How we operate the scheme

We run the scheme fairly and openly, offering every applicant an equal opportunity, and we consider all applications on merit. We include a comprehensive analysis of each year’s competition in our annual report.

We assess all applications against the same criteria, which you can find in part 5 of this guide. The detailed guidance that we provide for assessors on how to judge applications against these criteria will be published on the Clinical Impact Awards: guidance collection page.

There is a single online application form for all awards, so every applicant can highlight their contributions in the same way. Application forms are scored by our sub-committees, initially at a regional level, based solely on the strength of applications and the evidence provided in the forms. No other evidence can be provided, and evidence submitted after the deadline cannot be considered regardless of the reason.

Our sub-committees are regional groups that assess applications for national awards for applicants in their area. Based on application workload and to balance diversity and provide a degree of external scrutiny across these committees, we reallocate some sub-committee members to score in other regions.

There are 13 regional ACCIA sub-committees in England:

• Cheshire and Mersey
• East of England
• East Midlands
• London North East
• London North West
• London South
• North East
• North West
• South
• South East
• South West
• West Midlands
• Yorkshire and Humber

There are separate sub-committees for:

• DHSC and arm’s length bodies (ALBs)
• assessing the highest-scoring regional applicants for N3 awards
• assessing applications for which the initial scores are tied at cut-off points or where governance queries arise - the National Reserve Sub-committee (NRES)

The N3 and NRES committees are made up of our most experienced assessors, with equal representation from every regional sub-committee.

Wales has its own sub-committees which consider N0 to N3 awards. Wales does not operate an NRES process.

The sub-committees consider all applications in their area, except for those from public health consultants and academic GPs contracted by NHS England. These are assessed by the DHSC or ALB sub-committee, where they can be more easily benchmarked. Each regional sub-committee is allocated an indicative number of awards at each level. This is based on the number of national awards available, equitably and proportionately distributed based on the number of applications received in each region that year. This means there is an equal chance of achieving an NCIA in all regions and through the ALB committee.

Sub-committee members come from a range of backgrounds, with experience and expertise in many different areas. Each sub-committee is typically made up of:

• 50% medical and dental professionals
• 25% non-medical professionals or lay members
• 25% employers

Sub-committees may be divided into scoring groups to manage the workload. We ensure there is broadly equivalent diversity of assessors across these groups to minimise any unconscious bias affecting the scoring. Each group scores applications consistently against the assessors’ guidance, after which the following process is followed:

1. Individual scores for each application are collated and a mean total score derived.
2. Applications in each region are ranked according to their mean total score, and the indicative number of awards applied.
3. The top ranked applications in each region are referred to the N3 committee for national re-scoring, and applications flagged during the governance review stage are referred to NRES for re-scoring.
4. The ACCIA main committee meets to agree the outcomes of N3 and NRES re-scoring, and to approve recommendations for awards to be made to ministers.

If you successfully gain an award, it will last for 5 years starting on 1 April 2026. Outcome letters will be available to applicants in early 2026, with employers notified shortly afterwards.

We expect there to be up to 600 new NCIAs available each year in England, subject to ministerial agreement and the budget available. Our ambition is to award 330 N1, 200 N2 and 70 N3 awards each year at an annual value of £20,000, £30,000 and £40,000 respectively.

In Wales, the process for assessing applicants is different. For more details, contact the Wales secretariat at accia@wales.nhs.uk.

Local awards and commitment awards

At present, you cannot hold a local and national award at the same time, so if a national award is granted it will impact any existing local award. We strongly advise all applicants to consider the potential financial impacts of being granted an NCIA, and to seek independent financial advice if you need any assistance.

If you have a disability

In line with the Equality Act 2010, employers must consider making reasonable adjustments for employees with disabilities. These are changes to things such as equipment or processes to make sure people with disabilities can do their job.

If you have a disability, include details about any reasonable adjustments you have agreed with your employer in your job plan.

We treat all applications equally and use the same scoring criteria for everyone.

Part 2: check you are eligible

You can apply for an NCIA if you meet the eligibility criteria.

Not all eligible organisations are listed on the awards portal. If you’re not sure about your eligibility, contact accia@dhsc.gov.uk (for applicants working in England) or accia@wales.nhs.uk (for applicants working in Wales) well ahead of the application deadline.

If you’re considering taking up a new post or a secondment, it may be advisable to discuss these eligibility issues with the employing organisation and with ACCIA, well before agreeing to take up the new role.

Part 3: how to apply

Timetable for the 2025 awards

The 2025 awards round opens on 1 April 2025. You must submit your online NCIA application by 5pm on 27 May 2025.

You will not be able to apply after this, regardless of the reason that you missed the deadline. This includes applications where the employer sign-off stage has not been completed by the deadline.

View the full indicative timetable for the 2025 national awards round.

Filling in your application

You must fill in your own application form - nobody else can do it for you.

You will need to apply online at the awards portal. You may find it helpful to draft and amend your application before you apply by downloading a copy of the form. This is available on the portal.

When you apply, select the NHS organisation or ALB that holds your substantive or honorary contract, so that the right sub-committee considers your application. If you give the wrong trust or organisation, your application may not be considered for an award. If you are employed by more than one body, you should register with your main public sector employer and provide details of other employers on the application form.

Getting support for your application

The employer sign-off process has changed this year. Employers do not have to write a narrative statement about each applicant.

Your employer will be asked to confirm the veracity of the information provided on the form and your compliance with contractual obligations and disclosure.

We cannot accept applications without sign-off from your employers. This requires joint sign-off from all employers if you have more than one.

If you work for a university, the chief executive of the trust where you hold an honorary contract, or their nominated deputy, should complete this section. It is ACCIA’s expectation that:

• both the relevant NHS organisation and the university or medical school will be involved in the approval process
• an up-to-date job plan has been agreed by both parties

Membership and specialty organisations can provide guidance and assistance on the application process, but they must not edit, proofread or review individual applications.

How appraisals fit into the process

To qualify for an award, you must have an annual appraisal. Your employer must confirm whether you have done this in the 12 months before your application. If you have not, they should confirm that every reasonable effort was made to conduct one. We recognise there may be circumstances where appraisals may have been delayed beyond the applicant’s control. If this is the case, the reason that no appraisal occurred needs to be stated by the employer.

We do not need information about the appraisal, but your employer must confirm that you:

• took part in the appraisal process
• took part in job planning
• met the terms of your contract
• followed the Private Practice Code of Conduct where relevant (available on the NHS Employers page guidance for the employment of medical and dental consultants)
• have contributed as appropriate to your organisation’s Care Quality Commission (CQC) or Health Inspectorate Wales (HIW) inspections or improvement plans

You may have met the standard for job planning even if you do not have an agreed job plan - for example, if mediation is taking place. Explain this to your employer if they are delaying their sign-off for this reason.

Telling us about investigations or disciplinary action

On your application form, you must tell us if:

• you are being or have been investigated about your work by your employer, a regulatory body, or other external bodies such as the National Clinical Assessment Service (NCAS) or a Royal College
• successful legal action has been taken against you for your clinical practice or personal behaviour that may reflect badly on your judgement or the expected standards of the profession
• there are any current civil or legal proceedings against you which may reflect upon your behaviour, judgement or professional standing that might subsequently be notified to the General Medical Council (GMC) or General Dental Council (GDC)
• you have faced any of these things in the last 5 years

You must provide details of any of the above, and we may contact you for clarification or further information if necessary. We will record this information, but it will only be used in the governance process following the conclusion of scoring, and will not have a negative effect on your score.

For live investigations, we adopt an ‘innocent unless proven otherwise’ approach. We may choose to wait until the investigations are over to review the outcome of your application. If we do this and you are subsequently granted an award, we will backdate it to when it would have been awarded had we not waited until the end of the investigations.

If you start to be investigated or go through disciplinary procedures after you apply and before we announce the awards, you must tell us immediately.

If you do not tell us about any such issues, we will be concerned about your commitment to transparency and we reserve the right to cancel your application or withdraw your award. If an award is withdrawn due to information not being disclosed in a timely manner, you may have to pay back money already received.

Extenuating circumstances

If there are extenuating circumstances that you believe may affect your ability to submit a successful application, let us know as soon as possible before the application closing date, so we can support you and make sure your application is considered fairly. We cannot take any extenuating circumstances into account after you have submitted your application.

Each case is treated on its own merits, and the outcomes from each are based on the rules relating to the current scheme. If you apply for an award and believe there are extenuating circumstances, you can describe these in the job plan and/or relevant domains of the application form, making clear the impact that the circumstances have had on the evidence you are able to present.

We understand that it can be difficult to share personal information. Our assessors receive training on how to consider these types of circumstances, and any information you share will be treated with respect and in confidence. Extenuating circumstances should not put you off from applying - let us know about them so the sub-committee can take them into account in the scoring.

Significant periods of leave in the last 5 years

If you have taken any significant periods of leave over the last 5 years, please contact us before submitting your application. This includes things like parental or adoption leave and extended sick leave. Depending on the timing and the nature of the leave, we may advise assessors to consider longer than the standard 5-year evidence period to ensure you are not unfairly disadvantaged.

Things to do when you apply

When you fill in your application form, follow the steps below. We may ask for more information if anything is unclear in your application.

Speak to your employer

Start your application early enough to allow time to get sign-off from your employer and engage with any relevant local trust or university processes. Make your employer aware you are applying, to enable them to sign off your application in good time.

Check with your employer that they have a registered contact on the awards portal before you submit your application, otherwise they may not be notified it is awaiting their sign-off.

Evidence must be clearly dated

Give clear dates for your achievements - if the dates are not clear, it will bring your score down. Dates should be linked to individual pieces of evidence - avoid blanket statements such as ‘all evidence below is within the last 4 years’.

Unless explicitly told otherwise by ACCIA, for instance where mitigating circumstances are raised, evidence should be within the last 5 years.

If your work began more than 5 years ago but continues to deliver national impact, concentrate on the impact delivered within the last 5 years and not the preceding work.

If you have been given a national award within the last 5 years, give evidence since your last award and be clear about what you have achieved since then.

If your last national award was more than 5 years ago, the usual 5-year evidence period applies.

Avoid repeating the same evidence in different domains

Avoid repeating the same evidence in different domains as it will only receive credit from the assessors once unless it specifically relates to impact across multiple domains.

Where your evidence spans more than one domain, for example innovation and research and leadership, make clear in each domain which specific aspects of the evidence are applicable.

Avoid using acronyms

Sub-committee members (particularly lay members) reading the application may not be familiar with acronyms. If you feel you need to use acronyms or medical abbreviations (such as those used for conditions or specific techniques), make sure you write the appropriate name out in full at least once.

Do not include external web links

Do not include any website addresses or other external links to additional information. You must stay within the character limit for each domain and not seek to gain an advantage by linking to additional external evidence.

Assessors will not access or score evidence that is not on the application form itself.

Evidence must be measurable

Give measurable and externally validated information such as outcome data or other quality metrics wherever you can and quote the dates, source and relevant benchmarks. This applies to clinical work, as well as research and education.

Explain your impact

You must explain the impact you had and the relevant dates. Simply holding a position such as an ‘officer’ in a college or specialist society or serving as a chair or member of a committee will not in itself receive credit from assessors - your national impact needs to be clear and related to the period during which you did this work.

Avoid merely providing a series of lists of activities or roles with no reference to impact.

Consider separate lines for each piece of evidence to make your statements easier to read.

Each step of your application

Step 1: sign in

You can register on the awards portal any time but will only be able to start your application when the application window is open. If registering for the first time, select ‘new to the system’ and complete the form as a ‘Contact of an existing employer’.

If your employer is not listed, applicants working in England should contact us at accia@dhsc.gov.uk. You will get an email with your login details and be asked to set up a password.

Applicants working in Wales should contact accia@wales.nhs.uk for any queries or issues.

Step 2: privacy notice

You need to agree to how we collect, process and store your information.

Step 3: start your application

Select ‘Apply for a Clinical Impact Award’ and the ‘2025 Award Round’. If you are continuing an application that has already been started, you may need to scroll down the page (particularly on smaller screens) to see the link to your draft application.

Step 4: complete your applicant profile

This information is for our monitoring purposes and to enable us to process your application. You need to add your:

• personal and contact details
• GMC and/or GDC registration
• current employment details for your primary NHS employer and primary non-NHS employer, if you have one

You will also be asked for:

• details of pension scheme membership and if you are an academic or teaching consultant
• background and diversity details
• details of any investigations or disciplinary procedures in the last 5 years

These details will not be visible to those scoring your application and will only be used for monitoring and administrative purposes.

There is a ‘prefer not to say’ option for all parts of the diversity questionnaire, but if you have any concerns, we encourage you to discuss them with ACCIA before submitting your application. We are keen to address disparities and potential biases within the scheme, and data that is as complete as possible is essential to this work.

You can save your work at any time using the ‘save’ button at the bottom of the page.

You will need to complete and submit your profile before you are able to submit your application. If you have applied for an NCIA on this portal before, check that the information you provided remains accurate.

Step 5: your application details

Complete the ‘Details’ tab with the following information:

• your consultant appointments in date order
• any postgraduate qualifications stating the year you qualified and which institution you studied at
• any current national award and which level
• if you received a new NCEA at any level in 2021 or 2022
• your registration and licensing status
• your personal statement, including details of any organisation that has advised you in developing your application, along with your permission for us to publish it, if you are successful
• if you have taken any part of your pension or retired and returned to work, giving us the dates that you did so
• if your most recent national award was withdrawn by ACCIA for any reason - this does not include an award that expired or ceased on retirement prior to April 2023

Save your work frequently using the ‘save’ button at the bottom of the page. You will need to have completed all the mandatory fields before you can submit your application.

Step 6: your job plan

It is essential that your job plan is clear, as it allows assessors to determine what your role is, acting as a benchmark for what would be within expectations of such a role. Provide specific details of your activities for the programmed activities (PAs) in your contract, whether they are from the NHS, an academic institution or another source. Applications from those working less than full time are encouraged, and any new NCIA granted will be paid at the full value for anyone meeting the minimum eligibility requirements.

Use the ‘Job Plan’ tab to tell us the number of paid PAs in your agreed job plan for:

• direct clinical care
• supporting professional activities
• dedicated academic time
• additional programmed activities

Round the number of PAs to 2 decimal places.

If you are a substantive NHS consultant with agreed research supporting professional activities, give these separately in the dedicated academic or academic research PAs section and explain how these are allocated by your employer.

Give details of the activities you do for each of the PAs in your current agreed job plan. Remember, lay assessors may not be familiar with abbreviations and terminology so write in plain language what your job plan requires you to do.

The information given must reflect your agreed job plan and not any activities you consider that you work in addition to what is agreed. Assessors are looking for ‘over and above’ contributions, so they need to understand the work you are currently paid to undertake.

After the current job plan details, describe any significant changes to your job plan over the last 5 years. If you have extenuating circumstances that you feel may affect the evidence you are able to present, explain them here including the impact they had on your ability to generate evidence. Assessors can then interpret your domain evidence bearing these details in mind.

Give details about any additional income from any wider roles outside your job plan. If you have additional income, and if it relates to the evidence in your application explain how. We do not expect you to tell us the amount of any additional payment received, but we will check industry databases for any payments. We expect you to be transparent about what activities you may have received payments for within the last 5 years.

Give details about any sessions you are not paid for.

Step 7: domains

Provide your evidence for each of the 5 domains. They are:

• domain 1: delivering and developing a high-quality service
• domain 2: leadership
• domain 3: education, training and people development
• domain 4: innovation and research - this can include up to 10 of your most significant publications within the last 5 years, whether web-based or multiple media outputs, including up to 5 reviews and textbooks
• domain 5: additional national impact - here, tell us about other high-quality work with nationally or internationally recognised impact that has a direct benefit to the NHS

You must restrict your evidence to a maximum of 2,000 characters for each domain. This includes spaces and carriage returns (the spaces you get when you press enter to go to a new line).

The domain statements are the scored elements of the application, and all domains are scored for every application, so you need to fully utilise the available space.

Step 8: submit your application for review by your employer

Click ‘Submit’ in the bottom right corner to send your application to your employer. If you work for a university, this will be the nominated person at the trust where you hold an honorary contract that you named in step 1.

If your employer feels there should be any changes before they complete their section, they can return your application to you. If they do this, you will receive notes explaining their reasoning.

An automatic notification will be sent to your employer when you submit your application for them to complete their section. However, we strongly advise that you personally inform the appropriate people by other means that this has been done, to ensure the form is completed in good time.

We cannot allow any late applications because of delays by your employer.

It is the responsibility of applicants to ensure that their employer completes this section in good time. Applications without this section completed cannot be accepted.

Step 9: review your employer’s section

When your employer has completed their section, they will send your application back to you to review. If you feel your employer’s section needs amending, discuss any proposed changes with them and contact accia@dhsc.gov.uk (for applicants in England) or accia@wales.nhs.uk (for applicants in Wales).

Step 10: submit your application

When all sections, including the employer section, are complete, you are ready to submit your application. After you submit, you cannot change your application through the portal, so check that you are happy with all aspects. You will receive an email notification from the portal when your application is successful submitted. Contact ACCIA if you do not receive this.

Your application is not submitted until this final section has been completed, even if both you and your employer have completed your sections. Contact ACCIA if you are unsure whether you have submitted your application properly.

Step 11: after submission

After you submit your application, it will move from ‘In Progress’ to ‘Submitted’ on the landing page when you log into your account again.

If you find that you need to change something that is factually incorrect after it’s submitted, contact accia@dhsc.gov.uk. This will only be possible up to the deadline of the application window - no changes can be made afterwards. Your employer will need to re-confirm their section after any changes are made.

Withdrawals

If you decide not to continue your application for an NCIA, you may withdraw your application at any point during the awards round until the award results are announced. Once award results are announced, the awards are granted.

If you decide not to take up the award after the announcement, regardless if any of the award has been paid or not, we will consider you to have relinquished your award. Your employer will still be notified that you have successfully been granted a national award but have relinquished it. This makes you ineligible to hold a local award simultaneously under transition arrangements. Any decision to reinstate or grant a local award after that is entirely at the discretion of your employer.

Successful applications

New award payments will no longer be backdated for the first year.

If your application is successful, your award will be granted for up to 5 years from 1 April 2026 and we will write to your employer informing them of the outcome of your application. You may also wish to make your employer aware of your award to ensure they take appropriate steps to pay your award promptly.

You must continue to meet the eligibility criteria to receive your award for its full duration (usually 5 years). Read the change of circumstances guidance for award holders and contact ACCIA if your circumstances change.

You can apply for a new NCIA at any point, however only evidence since your last successful application will be considered by assessors. If your application is successful, the new award will commence and any remaining period of your existing award will be cancelled. Former NCEA holders in transition arrangements should be aware that their second and subsequent NCIAs will not be eligible for pay protection. See Annex A for details about transition arrangements.

Unsuccessful applications

If your application is unsuccessful, you are encouraged to review the mean domain scores provided in your outcome letter and review the guidance considering these. Evidence submitted in unsuccessful applications can be credited again in future, provided it fits within the 5-year period.

Part 4: changes of circumstances during an awards round

Leaving the NHS during an awards round

If you are made redundant, retire completely or leave the NHS workforce for any reason during an awards round and before we announce the award results, we will withdraw your application.

If you change your employer before we announce the award results, you must inform ACCIA immediately and we will review your application.

Flexible retiring during an awards round

You must inform ACCIA if you have made an application for an award and intend to take flexible retirement or retire and return before we announce the results.

If your retirement plans meet the eligibility criteria for existing award holders, your application will proceed. If they do not, we will withdraw your application. See the change of circumstances guidance for award holders.

We will not be able to grant an award unless we have received an agreed job plan for your new working patterns by the time results are communicated.

Other significant changes of circumstances during an award round

If you plan to make significant changes to your job plan after applying, including changing employer (substantive or honorary), please let us know as soon as possible by emailing accia@dhsc.gov.uk.

For successful applicants we will apply the process set out in our change of circumstances guidance for existing award holders, and may grant a reduced term award if deemed appropriate.

Part 5: how your application is scored

Evidence of how your work has positively impacted the NHS in England or Wales

Clinical impact is about providing high-quality services to patients that:

• go above and beyond your immediate remit
• improve clinical outcomes for as many patients as possible outside your local area, ideally at a national level
• use resources efficiently and make national services more productive

You need to show assessors evidence of how you have directly:

• made services more efficient and productive
• improved quality and delivery

You will need to demonstrate your role as an enabler and leader of health provision, prevention, and policy development and implementation.

Assessors need to be sure that your achievements are relevant. They need to know when they occurred, or if you are still doing these activities.

It is essential that you make the dates of all your achievements clear. Without dates they will not receive any credit from assessors.

Use the ‘domain’ section of the application form to give details of your achievements, as this is where they will be assessed. Only the domain section of the form is scored. All the other information provides context and corroboration.

For the domain section:

• all assessors in your region will score every domain of your form, so avoid repeating basic explanations in multiple domains where they do not contribute to the evidence presented
• you may not be able to show you have achieved over and above expected standards in all 5 domains - a lot will depend on the type and nature of your post and the nature of your job plan. Do, however, ensure you provide some evidence in all domains
• you could get a national award based on an excellent local or regional contribution, if you can show how your work has been used to have had an impact on the wider NHS
• you should highlight the most important examples of your work, focusing on its national impacts. Providing fewer examples with more detail is preferable to an extended list with limited evidence
• evidence from earlier in the 5-year period is important, but greater credit will be given where there is demonstration of ongoing impact on the NHS and development of the work
• describe the impact you have had in any roles you list, including acknowledging the contribution of colleagues and other members of the multi-professional team
• make it clear when your roles started and ended, or if they are ongoing

List your achievements against the original aims in your job plan or personal development plan. All evidence is benchmarked against the expectations of your job plan.

Do not include evidence you gave for an earlier award unless it shows how you have actively built on or consolidated your previous achievements to have generated additional impact.

Give quantified data, particularly outcome measures that:

• include relevant dates, sources and appropriate benchmarks
• show what you have achieved over the last 5 years, or since your last award (whichever is most recent). Particular attention should be paid to work that has and will continue to have an impact, rather than purely historic work which has ceased

If your clinical work is subject to national audit processes, include this information too.

If you work in a specialty where outcome metrics are less readily available, explain how your work relates to relevant comparators within the specialty.

Committee members score the domain sections as follows:

• 10 = your application is excellent with clear and sustained national impact

• 6 = your work is over and above your contract terms and should have national, or at least regional, impact, beyond your local area

• 2 = you have met the terms of your contract or may have contributed more, but mainly within your locality

• 0 = your impact and contribution is not clear with no or few outcomes and/or dates to allow assessment and judgement

Do not include any website addresses or other external links to additional information. Assessors will not access or score evidence that is not on the application form itself. You must stay within the character limit for each domain and not seek to gain an advantage by linking to additional external evidence.

We recognise the extraordinary requirements of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the work that many healthcare workers have contributed. You may choose to include evidence related to this as part of your evidence over prior years. If you do, concentrate on the impact of your contributions over and above your local institution or expected role and focus on where it had an impact outside of your immediate remit.

Part 6: appealing your unsuccessful application

Appeals related to national award applications

All appeals for NCIAs are handled by ACCIA. 

To appeal, log into your account where you will find the steps you need to take.

You need to tell us why you believe the assessment process was unfair and give evidence. 

Submit your appeal for a national award within 28 days of when we inform you of the award results. If our dates change, this will be updated in the portal.

Reasons you can request an appeal

You can request an appeal if you think we did not follow the right processes when we assessed your application. You cannot appeal because you disagree with the outcome of your application, the scores awarded or the judgement of our assessors.

You can appeal if you believe:

• the committee did not consider all the supporting information or documents you sent with your application - this cannot include additional supporting information sent with your appeal
• irrelevant information was considered - you need to tell us what irrelevant information you think this was
• you were discriminated against due to characteristics such as your gender, ethnicity or age
• the usual evaluation processes were not followed
• the committee, or any of its members, showed bias or had a conflict of interest, such as where someone involved in a decision could be affected by the result

How we handle appeals

The secretariat will investigate your evidence and submit it to our chair and medical director who will consider it and the processes that were followed to decide if your appeal is justified. They will then ask a panel of 2 sub-committee members - one medical and one non-medical - who were not involved in the assessment of your application to review their proposed decision to ensure it is robust. If it is decided that there are no grounds for appeal, we will write to tell you why. 

If there are grounds for appeal and we cannot resolve the problem informally, we will set up a formal appeal.

A separate panel of people who did not assess your application or the decision to progress the appeal will consider this. The panel will include:

• a medical or dental professional
• an employer
• a non-professional member as chairperson

They will look at: 

• your appeal
• the documents that set out our agreed assessment process
• a written statement of what the committee did when they considered your application

You can see all the documents the panel considers. You can also send more written statements about your appeal and what you believe happened.

The panel does not usually hear oral evidence. However, you can apply in writing to have an oral hearing. The panel chair will decide whether you can have one.

If your appeal is successful

If your appeal is successful, our chair and medical director will consider the best way to put things right. Their decision will be consistent with other similar appeals. 

Even if your appeal against the process is successful, you may not get your renewal or a new award. If this happens, we will write to you to tell you why.

Process and timeline for appeals

We try to resolve appeals in line with the process and indicative timeline set out below - if there are delays, we will let you know. The process is as follows:

• you must request an appeal within 28 days of the notification of the outcome of the annual awards round being sent to you
• when we get your request to appeal, we will contact you within 5 working days to acknowledge its receipt. At this point we may contact you for any additional information required to properly review your appeal
• our secretariat, chair and medical director will review your case and decide whether you have grounds for a formal appeal
• within approximately 20 working days of the date we got in touch, our chair and medical director will let you know if there will be a formal appeal
• if there is a formal appeal, we will set up a panel and agree a date for them to meet, usually within 20 working days

When our chair and medical director hear what the panel has decided, they will let you know the final decision, usually within 20 working days.

In all cases, the panel’s decision is final.

Part 7: how to complain about ACCIA

We can only handle complaints about the work, staff and levels of service provided by ACCIA. You can email us at accia@dhsc.gov.uk.

We will not accept complaints relating to awards or change of circumstances decisions. Guidance for current award holders sets out how to appeal change of circumstances decisions.

If you want to make a formal complaint about ACCIA, we will need:

• a clear, detailed description of what your complaint is about
• copies of any letters or emails related to the complaint
• your email address so we can respond to you

When you have made your complaint, we will send an email to let you know that we have received it.

Our complaints process has 3 stages:

1. Complaints go to the team leader of the ACCIA secretariat, who will liaise with the relevant sub-committee chair if necessary. The team leader will investigate, with a target of responding to your complaint within 20 working days.
2. Complaints are investigated by the senior civil servant responsible for ACCIA. They will investigate, with a target of responding to your complaint within 20 working days.
3. Complaints are investigated by a senior civil servant who is independent of the individual or team that your complaint references. They will investigate, with a target of responding to your complaint within 20 working days.

What to do if you are not satisfied

At each stage of our complaints process, you will be provided with the information to escalate your complaint if you are unhappy with the response that you receive.

If, after following the 3 stages of our complaints process, you are not satisfied with the outcome of your formal complaint, you can ask your local MP to refer it to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

You have to go through your MP - you cannot approach the ombudsman directly.

The ombudsman investigates complaints where government departments or other public bodies have not acted properly or fairly or have provided a poor service. Government departments must co-operate with the ombudsman by law.

If you are unhappy with the ombudsman’s decision, you can appeal directly to the ombudsman.

Part 8: false statements or possible fraud

If we find any evidence of a false statement or fraud, we will take suitable action.

This may include passing the details to:

• your employers
• GMC or GDC
• the NHS Counter Fraud Authority

Part 9: how we use your data

ACCIA collects data for the specific purpose of running the NCIA scheme and has its own privacy notice. For more information see the ACCIA personal information charter.

Information about how DHSC, the data controller for ACCIA, handles your information is also available under the DHSC privacy notice.

Annex A: transition arrangements for NCEA holders in England

Schedule 30 of the consultant contract sets out the transition arrangements for holders of NCEAs moving to any reformed national scheme. There are 2 important provisions set out in the schedule:

• a consultant who successfully receives a first NCIA for an equivalent or higher level of performance but attracting a lower value of award than paid under the NCEA scheme will receive an additional payment so that they are paid no less overall than the cash value of their NCEA
• a consultant who receives a first NCIA for a lower level of performance will receive an additional payment so that they are paid no less overall than the cash value of the equivalent lower award in the NCEA scheme

The NCIA scheme has 3 award levels, and for the purposes of managing transition arrangements their equivalence to the former award levels is as follows:

• N1 - equivalent to silver
• N2 - equivalent to gold
• N3 - equivalent to platinum

This results in NCEA holders who hold a full award (that is, not prorated) having the level of protected pensionable pay shown below, for their first NCIA, up to a maximum of the first 5-year period in the NCIA scheme. Subsequent NCIAs awarded are not subject to pay protection provisions.

Table 1: transitional arrangement values per award level

NCEA held	NCIA granted	Total pay	Pensionable pay
Bronze	N1	£36,192	£36,192
Bronze	N2	£36,192	£36,192
Bronze	N3	£40,000	£36,192
Silver	N1	£47,582	£47,582
Silver	N2	£47,582	£47,582
Silver	N3	£47,582	£47,582
Gold	N1	£47,582	£47,582
Gold	N2	£59,477	£59,477
Gold	N3	£59,477	£59,477
Platinum	N1	£47,582	£47,582
Platinum	N2	£59,477	£59,477
Platinum	N3	£77,320	£77,320

NCIA holders are not eligible for local awards in England at the same time, whether they held a prior NCEA or not.

You can read more about this in the response to the 2022 consultation on reforming the national Clinical Excellence Awards scheme.

Annex B: transition pay eligibility timelines

Transitional pay protection arrangements apply in England between the old and the new award schemes, as well as reversion to a local award for current NCEA holders who unsuccessfully apply.

If your NCEA is expiring in 2026, you must submit your application in the 2025 award round to be eligible for either transition or reversion arrangements.

The transition and reversion arrangements are not the responsibility of ACCIA as they are set out in schedule 30 of the consultant terms and conditions of service. If you are employed on a contract that does not include this schedule these arrangements do not apply, but there may be other pay protection elements agreed with your employer.

It is your responsibility to ensure you apply in the year before the expiry of your NCEA. ACCIA cannot be held responsible for any failure to apply, nor for lack of receipt of any communications due to changes of contact address that have not been specifically notified to us as a preferred contact address.

If your NCEA is expiring in 2026 or in a later year, you can access these arrangements by applying in 2025. If your NCEA was renewed in 2021, your renewed award will have commenced in 2022 and will have been granted for either 4 or 5 years. If you are unsure about the duration of an NCEA renewed in 2021 please contact accia@dhsc.gov.uk.