Guidance

Employers' guide: 2025 awards round

Published 18 March 2025

Applies to England and Wales

About this guide

This guide is to help employers to sign off applications from NHS consultant doctors, dentists and academic GPs for national Clinical Impact Awards (NCIAs), previously the national Clinical Excellence Awards (NCEAs).

It covers the 2025 NCIAs competition in England and Wales and tells you:

• how the award scheme works
• how the application and assessment processes work
• your role in the process as an employer

Read this guide before providing employer sign-off and use it as a reference guide when supporting an application.

Go to the awards portal to ensure you can log in to support applications from your employees.

For any assistance, you can contact the Advisory Committee on Clinical Impact Awards (ACCIA) secretariat at:

• accia@dhsc.gov.uk (for employers based in England)
• accia@wales.nhs.uk (for employers based in Wales)

Application deadline

Applicants must have submitted their application by 5pm on 27 May 2025.

As an employer you must have confirmed your sign-off for an application by this deadline, or applicants will be unable to submit them. Any applications received after this time will not be considered.

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 Clinical Impact Awards scheme

ACCIA runs the NCIAs scheme for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in England. ACCIA provides governance for the awards for the Welsh Government in Wales.

Health ministers agree 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) 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)

Consultants can apply for a new award at any time after they have completed a full year in an eligible role, with a permanent NHS contract (fixed-term and locum contracts are not usually eligible). If they already hold an NCEA granted under the old scheme, transitional arrangements apply in England between the old and the new schemes.

To be considered, applications need to show what has been delivered that has had an impact at a national level, over and above the expectations defined in an applicant’s job plan in the previous 5 years, or since a prior national award if within the last 5 years.

There are 5 domains for applicants to tell us about their contributions and provide supporting evidence:

1. Developing and delivering a high-quality service.
2. Improving the NHS through leadership.
3. Education, training and people development.
4. Innovation and research.
5. Additional impact, in which applicants can provide other evidence, particularly if it relates to published NHS or other relevant health objectives.

In all of the domains, applicants should consider providing evidence of national impact relating to equality, diversity and inclusion.

There is a single online application form for all awards, so every applicant can highlight their contributions in the same way.

Based on the strength of applications, our regional sub-committees and our main committee will recommend applicants for national awards to health ministers, for them to approve. The level of award recommended depends on the scores given by our committees after careful review of the evidence in each application. The relative ranking of all applicants determines who gains which award level, based on the number of awards available at each award level.

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 apply for an NCIA.

To apply, applicants need to give evidence of impact across the 5 domains described above. Only the evidence in these domains is scored - the other parts of an application are not scored but provide context for the assessment of the 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 applicants can show that their overseas work has helped the NHS and the health of the UK public directly, or has had a direct reputational benefit for the NHS overseas. We do not give awards for, or otherwise credit, stand-alone overseas work.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) runs its own awards scheme, but we also recognise eligible NHS employee contributions, over and above the expected standards, to military medical and dental services. These are assessed by a separate MoD committee.

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 our analysis of each year’s competition in our annual report.  

We assess all applications against the same criteria which you can find in part 4 of this guide. 

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 most applicants in their area. Based on application workload, and to provide balance and 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 (N3)
• assessing applications for which the initial scores are tied at cut-off points or where governance queries arise - the National Reserve Sub-committee (NRES)

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

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

The sub-committees consider all applications in their area except for those from public health consultants and academic GPs contracted by DHSC, its ALBs and 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, equally and proportionately distributed based on the number of applications received that year, in each region. 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 and 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 an applicant successfully gains an award, it will last for 5 years and begin 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, it is not possible to hold a local Clinical Excellence Award (LCEA) and NCIA 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.

Running an open, transparent scheme

You will find information about ACCIA and the scheme on our website, including:

• a list of all national award holders

• personal statements from people who received a new award in 2022

• governance information, including:

  • the members of our main committee and our sub-committees
  • summaries of the minutes for the main committee’s meetings

• annual reports about each awards round

All guidance for applicants, assessors and employers will be published on the Clinical Impact Awards: guidance collection page.

If applicants 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 an applicant has a disability, where relevant, any reasonable adjustments they have agreed with you should be explained in the job plan section of the application form.

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

Transitional arrangements

Transitional arrangements only apply to applicants in England whose NCEAs are expiring after 2025.

In Wales there are no transitional arrangements. However, award holders may still be eligible for pension protection and should contact their employer in the first instance for further information.

Schedule 30 of the consultant contract in England provides transitional pay protection for existing NCEA holders. This protection is costly, peaking at over £30 million in 2025 to 2026, and this has an impact on the funding available for new awards in the transitional period.

Applicants should review the details of the transitional arrangements carefully and discuss their personal circumstances with their employers if they have any questions. Any questions relating to awards that employers cannot answer can be put to ACCIA.

The cost of pay protection means we have had to alter some elements of the scheme for the transitional period, with any adjustments made each year if possible. For example, the numbers of NCIAs granted at each level may vary during the transition period. All these arrangements will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.

More details on the transitional arrangements are in the annex. NCEA holders and their employers should read these carefully.

Part 2: eligibility

Employees must meet the eligibility criteria to apply for an NCIA.

Part 3: the application process

The timetable for national awards

Applicants must submit their online NCIA application to us by 5pm on 27 May 2025. They will not be able to apply after this, regardless of the reason that they missed the deadline.

This deadline includes having employer sign-off, so please work with applicants to ensure you have signed off their application before 5pm on 27 May 2025.

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

Filling in the application

An applicant must fill in their own application form - nobody else can do it for them. 

Applications can only be made online at the awards portal.

Applicants must first select the NHS organisation or ALB that holds their substantive or honorary contract and their specialty, so that the right sub-committee considers the application. If an individual is employed by more than one body, they are asked to state all of their employers and roles - being clear which is the main employer based on who pays their salary.

Extenuating circumstances

If there are extenuating circumstances that an applicant feels may affect their ability to submit a successful application, we would like them to let us know as soon as possible before the application closing date, so we can provide support and make sure the application is considered fairly. We cannot take any extenuating circumstances into account after the application has been submitted and it has been scored. 

Each case is treated on its own merits, and the outcomes from each case are based on the rules relating to the current scheme. If a consultant applies for an award and believes there are extenuating circumstances, these can be described in the job plan, personal statement and/or the relevant domains of the application form. 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to be precise about the timing of any such changes in working pattern, and to provide dates for the achievements that they are presenting for assessment. For example, an applicant may describe periods of absence due to maternity leave or ill health during the relevant 5-year period. 

We understand that it can be difficult for applicants to share personal information. As employers we expect you to support your employees so that they feel comfortable sharing this information in the knowledge that it will be treated with respect and in confidence. Extenuating circumstances should not put off a consultant applying, but it is important that we know about them in a timely fashion so the sub-committee can take them into account in the scoring process as required. If you are aware of any extenuating circumstances that you want to comment upon, please contact ACCIA at the earliest opportunity.

Significant periods of leave in the last 5 years

If an applicant has taken any significant periods of leave over the last 5 years, they should contact us before submitting their 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 they are not unfairly disadvantaged.

Withdrawals

If an applicant decides not to continue their application for an NCIA, they may withdraw their application at any point during the awards round until the award results are announced. Once award results are announced, the awards are granted.

If they decide not to take up the award after the announcement, regardless if any of the award has been paid or not, we will consider the award holder to have relinquished their award.

As an employer, you will be notified when an applicant has successfully been granted a national award but has relinquished it. This makes them 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 you as the employer.

Successful applications

Awards will be granted to successful applicants for up to 5 years from 1 April 2026. Outcome letters will be available to applicants in early 2026, with employers notified shortly afterwards.

Award holders can apply for a new NCIA at any point, however only evidence since their last successful application will be considered by assessors. If their application is successful, the new award will commence, and any remaining period of the 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 the annex for details on transition arrangements.

Unsuccessful applications

If an application is unsuccessful, applicants are encouraged to review the mean domain scores provided in their 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: the assessment process

We have moved to a single online application form for all awards, with no renewals. As explained above, an online application form will be submitted for competitive scoring in the first instance to one of the 13 regional sub-committees or to the ALB committee, with separate arrangements in place for applicants in Wales and for the armed services. 

The number of awards potentially available for each region is calculated based on the total number of awards available in any year at each level, allocated proportionately in line with the number of applications. This ensures that applicants have an equal chance of success in each region.

More details can be found in part 5 of the 2025 applicants’ guide.

Scoring

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

• go beyond the applicant’s immediate remit
• improve clinical outcomes for as many patients as possible
• use resources efficiently and make national services more productive

Applicants need to show assessors evidence of how they have directly:

• made these services more efficient and productive
• improved quality at the same time

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

It is essential that the dates of achievements are clear, as without dates they cannot be scored highly. When discussing any applications with your employees we would advise emphasising this point.

Only the domain section of the form is scored. All the other information provides context and corroboration.

Committee members score the domain sections as follows:

• 10 = an application is excellent with clear and sustained national and/or international impact
• 6 = the work is over and above contract terms and has at least a regional impact beyond the local area
• 2 = the applicant has met the terms of their contract or may have contributed more, mainly within their locality
• 0 = the applicant has not met the terms of their contract, no dates within the last 5 years are present in the domain, or there is not enough information to make a judgement

More information on the domains can be found in part 5 of the 2025 applicants’ guide.

Part 5: changes of circumstances during an awards round.

Leaving the NHS during an awards round

If an applicant is made redundant, retires completely or leaves the NHS workforce for any reason during an awards round and before we announce the award results, we will withdraw their application.

If an applicant changes employer before we announce the award results, we must be informed immediately and will review their application.

Flexible retiring during an awards round

We must be informed if an applicant has made an application for an award and intends to take flexible retirement or retire and return before we announce the results. If an applicant’s retirement plans meet the eligibility criteria for existing award holders, their application will proceed. If they do not, we will withdraw their 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 their new working patterns by the time results are communicated.

Other significant changes of circumstances during an award round

Award holders and applicants are expected to continue meeting the standard eligibility criteria of the NCIA scheme to receive their award for the full duration it is granted for (5 years unless otherwise communicated).

Award holders, applicants and their employers must tell us if there are any changes to their employment, as it may affect their award.

If we are not notified when an award holder’s circumstances change, it could affect whether they can keep their award or what they and your organisation are paid. Any payments made since the change in circumstances may be reclaimed.

Some of the main changes you and award holders need to tell us about are set out below - this list is not exhaustive. ACCIA must be notified if an award holder:

• stops practising in the field they got their award
• changes job or employer
• has a significant change to their job plan - including fewer sessions

Award holders should tell us as soon as the change has been agreed locally. We will consider how it affects their award.

You can find more information in the change of circumstances guidance for award holders.

Part 6: your role as an employer and how to sign off applications

Encouraging applications

As an employer, you should be playing an active role in encouraging your eligible staff to apply for an award. Encouraging high-performing consultants to make applications for NCIAs should be discussed at their annual appraisals. We will ask you to confirm you have procedures in place to ensure equality and diversity of your employees to access and be supported for NCIA applications.

Resources to assist employers in encouraging applications and addressing concerns will be available on the Clinical Impact Awards: guidance collection page.

Signing off applications

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

You will be asked to confirm the veracity of the information provided on the form and their compliance with contractual obligations and disclosure.

We cannot accept applications without sign-off from employers. This requires joint sign-off from all employers if an applicant has more than one.

If an applicant works for a university, the chief executive of the trust where they 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, and that an up-to-date job plan has been agreed by both parties.

You have a duty of candour and are obliged to inform ACCIA of any misleading information in the application form.

Considering that an application has not demonstrated national impact sufficiently is not justification for refusing to support an application.

The default sign-off for employers is ‘support’. We would expect all applications to be supported unless there is good reason for not doing so, such as:

• fitness to practise
• poor performance
• unresolved complaints
• failure to agree an appropriate job plan
• inaccurate information within the form

Once your sign-off has been completed, the form will return to the applicant. Only they can submit their application to be assessed. ACCIA will inform the applicant that you have reviewed their application and that they are now required to submit - you may also want to let them know yourself.

How appraisals fit into the process

To qualify for an award, an applicant must have an annual appraisal. As employer, you must confirm whether you have done this in the 12 months before a consultant’s application is submitted. If you have not, you should confirm that every reasonable effort was made to conduct one. We recognise that appraisals may be delayed by circumstances outside the applicant’s control - if this is the case, you need to state the reason that no appraisal occurred. 

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

• 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)
• contributed as appropriate to the organisation’s Care Quality Commission (CQC) or Health Inspectorate Wales (HIW) inspections or improvement plans

An applicant may have met the standard for job planning even if they do not have an agreed job plan - for example, if mediation is taking place.

Telling us about investigations or disciplinary action

On the application form, the applicant must tell us if:

• they are being or have been investigated about their work by their 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 them for their clinical practice or personal behaviour that may reflect badly on their judgement, or the expected standards of the profession
• there are any current civil or legal proceedings against them which may reflect upon their behaviour, judgement or professional standing that might subsequently be notified to the General Medical Council or General Dental Council
• they have faced any of these things in the last 5 years

Details of any of the above must be provided, and we may contact you as the employer for clarification or further information if necessary. We will record this information, but it will not be used except in the governance process following the conclusion of scoring, and will not have a negative effect on scores.

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 an applicant is 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 an applicant starts to be investigated or goes through disciplinary procedures after applying and before we announce the awards, they must tell us immediately.

If we are not told of any such issues, we will be concerned about an applicant’s commitment to transparency and we reserve the right to cancel their application or withdraw their award. If an award is withdrawn due to information not being disclosed in a timely manner, they may have to pay back money already received.

Organisations in special measures

If your NHS organisation is in special measures, as determined by CQC, your consultants and academic GPs remain eligible to apply for awards. In the event that a scoring sub-committee recommends an individual with board-level responsibility, such as an eligible medical director in an organisation in special measures for an award, we will submit a paper to our main committee for decision.

If your organisation is in special measures under the NHS Wales Escalation and Intervention Arrangements, your consultants and academic GPs are eligible to apply for awards.

How to sign off applications

Employer sign-off must be completed online before the application window closes at 5pm on 27 May 2025.

Follow the steps below to complete the sign-off process:

1. Go to the awards portal. If you have not been involved in the process before, contact accia@dhsc.gov.uk. The main employer contact for the 2025 round should be the person responsible for signing off applications.
2. If you’re registered as an employer contact, you’ll receive an email stating that a consultant has identified you as their employer - you are required to sign off their application. If your organisation chooses to have multiple employer contacts registered, it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure the appropriate individual signs off applications in a timely manner.
3. Once you’ve logged on, you’ll see the applications that require your validation - review each one objectively in turn. You’ll be required to verify the information within the application by completing the short form. In doing so you must confirm that the applicant is working to professional and personal conduct standards, has had a formal appraisal in the last 12 months, agreed a job plan, fulfilled their contractual obligations, and complied with the Private Practice Code of Conduct.
4. You will need to confirm whether the applicant has appropriately contributed to your organisation’s CQC or HIW inspections or improvement plans.
5. You must also confirm if you are aware of any disciplinary or professional proceedings or investigations against the applicant, both inside or outside of your organisation, and if so, what they are.
6. You’ll need to confirm whether you ‘support’ the application or not. If not supported, you’ll be asked to explain why. If you’re signing off an application for a consultant who also works for a university (clinical academic), it is ACCIA’s expectation that both the relevant NHS organisation and university or medical school will be involved in the sign-off process. Both organisations must be content with the information provided due diligence questions for each applicant.
7. When you are content with your sign-off, you should confirm this by submitting it. The applicant will receive notification that you have validated their application, and it is ready for formal submission.

Part 7: appeals

Part 6 of the 2025 applicants’ guide sets out how an applicant can appeal an unsuccessful application.

Annex: transition and reversion arrangements for NCEA holders in England

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

Rules that apply to existing NCEA holders:

• if an application is made for a first new award before an existing NCEA would have been due for renewal under the old scheme and is unsuccessful, the individual keeps their existing NCEA until its expiry - they may apply for an NCIA again up to the year before the NCEA’s expiry
• if an NCEA would have been due for renewal and the application is unsuccessful, the reversion arrangements to receive a legacy, pensionable LCEA will continue to apply. The level of the local award depends on the score obtained in the new NCIA application
• if a consultant applies in the year their NCEA expires, this NCEA will lapse before the annual NCIA award round is completed and the applicant will not be eligible for the transitional arrangements
• if an applicant applies in the year their NCEA would have been due for renewal and they successfully gain a new NCIA, their new award will start when their NCEA expires - the value of a legacy NCEA and its pensionable benefits are protected for the duration of their first new award at an equivalent level
• if an applicant applies at any other time before their NCEA expires and they successfully gain a new NCIA, the new award will start on 1 April following their application
• if an NCIA is gained at an equivalent or higher level to their NCEA, the payment received will be no less than the value of their existing NCEA
• if an NCIA is gained at a lower equivalent level, the applicant will receive no less than the legacy NCEA payment at that level - there will be an obligation in this case to accept the new NCIA and give up any unexpired NCEA; local awards cannot be held simultaneously with NCIA awards that benefit from schedule 30 protection

The NCIA scheme has 3 award levels. For the purposes of managing transition arrangements, their equivalent 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 pro rated) having the level of protected pensionable pay shown below, for their first NCIA, up to 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

To be eligible for transition arrangements, NCEA holders must successfully apply for an NCIA no later than the application round before their NCEA expires. For example, for an NCEA expiring in 2026 an application must be submitted in the 2025 award round. If no successful application is made, the NCEA will expire and any subsequent NCIA granted will not be eligible for transition arrangements. Should an NCEA holder apply earlier than the year before their current award expires, their NCIA and the 5-year transition period will commence on 1 April following the granting of their NCIA.

All payments, including any ‘top-up’ payments and employer pension contributions for those in transition, will be paid by NHS England through the same route as NCEAs and NCIAs. It remains the responsibility of employers to ensure the correct payments are made, and to advise ACCIA if there are any changes in circumstances of award holders, including if they join or leave a pension scheme.

Although NCIAs are paid at full value for award holders working less than full time, payments to award holders in transition arrangements will continue to be paid pro rata where appropriate as per the NCEA scheme rules. If an award holder in transition reduces their contract so that the pro rata transition payment is less than their NCIA, the NCIA value will be paid in full, but pension contributions will only be paid up to the pro rata value.

Schedule 30 does not apply to consultants in Wales, so there are no transition arrangements for NCEA holders in Wales.

Academic GPs in England are employed on different terms and conditions to consultant doctors and dentists. Schedule 30 does not apply so there are no transition arrangements for academic GPs.

Any NCEA award holders who enter the transitional arrangements will not currently be eligible for LCEA payments.

Initially, due to the cost of the transitional arrangements, NCIA holders are not eligible for local awards in England at the same time whether or not they held a prior NCEA. This will be reviewed during and after the transition period to see when national and local awards can be held concurrently. You can read more information about this in the response to the 2022 consultation on reforming the national Clinical Excellence Awards scheme.

Reversion arrangements for NCEA holders in England

If an NCEA or NCIA holder applies in the awards round before their current award expires, but their application is unsuccessful, the reversion arrangements set out in schedule 30 apply. These specify that in these circumstances the holder will be granted a pre-2018 LCEA (a legacy LCEA) according to the following conditions:

• reapplication score equal to or greater than 27 - legacy LCEA level 8
• reapplication score between 14 and 26.99 - legacy LCEA level 7
• reapplication score equal to or less than 13.9 - no award

Any legacy LCEA will commence on 1 April, immediately after the expiry of the prior NCEA or NCIA. Where no legacy LCEA is granted, the NCEA will continue until its expiry date after which there will be no award payments.

If an NCEA holder fails to apply at the latest by the award round before their NCEA or NCIA expires, their award will continue until its expiry date after which there will be no award payments. Any subsequent NCIA will be granted as a new award and backdated appropriately.

Academic GPs in England are employed on different terms and conditions to consultant doctors and dentists, so there are no reversion arrangements for academic GPs.