Clinical Impact Awards 2023: outcome and appeals
Information for applicants in England about the outcome of the national Clinical Impact Awards (NCIAs) 2023 and the appeals process.
Applies to England
Applicants in Wales should refer to their email from the Advisory Committee on Clinical Impact Awards (ACCIA) for further information.
Notification of results
Results for the 2023 award round have been communicated to applicants through their registered email address.
You can view the outcome of your application in the ‘My awards’ section of the ACCIA portal. This will show:
- whether your application was successful or unsuccessful
- if successful, the level of your award
You can also:
- download your tailored outcome letter from the portal
- view your scores for each domain and final mean total score
If you have not received an email about the outcome of your application please call ACCIA on 0113 254 5392 or email accia@dhsc.gov.uk.
Letters to employers with the details of award outcomes will be sent in the next few weeks.
You should read the information below that is applicable to your personal circumstances. If you have any questions, email accia@dhsc.gov.uk.
Outcomes
Successful and you do not currently hold an NCEA
If your application was successful and you do not currently hold a national Clinical Excellence Award (NCEA), your award will be backdated to 1 April 2023 and will be valid for up to 5 years from that date, subject to your continued eligibility.
Further information on eligibility can be found in the 2024 applicants’ guide. Please contact accia@dhsc.gov.uk if your circumstances have changed since you applied.
National Clinical Impact Awards (NCIAs) are non-pensionable and non-consolidated.
ACCIA will notify your employer of the outcome of your application. However, you may wish to inform your employer of the outcome either informally, or after you have received written confirmation in your letter.
Successful and you currently hold an NCEA (not academic GPs)
The following information does not apply to academic GPs.
If your application was successful and you currently hold an NCEA, your existing award will end on 31 March 2024 and your NCIA will start on 1 April 2024. You’ll enter the transitional arrangements on 1 April 2024 and these will apply for the full duration of your first NCIA only.
Your NCIA will be valid for up to 5 years from 1 April 2024, subject to your continued eligibility. Further information on eligibility and what to do if your circumstances change can be found in the 2024 applicants’ guide.
When your NCIA begins, you’ll be paid the full value of your NCIA and, where applicable, a top-up protection payment up to the equivalent value of your previous NCEA. This will differ on an individual basis and is dependent on several factors, including:
- the level at which you have been successful for an NCIA
- the level and value of your previous NCEA
- whether you work full time or part time
- whether you began receiving pension benefits from 1 April 2023
You’ll receive pension protection up to the value of your previous NCEA, which is also dependent on individual circumstances. The tables below provide an indication of the level of pay protection you’re likely to receive.
Further details on all the above will be confirmed in your outcome letter.
ACCIA will notify your employer of the outcome of your application. However, you may wish to inform your employer of the outcome either informally, or after you have received written confirmation in your letter.
Current NCEA : bronze
| NCIA | Pensionable pay protection level |
|---|---|
| N1 | Bronze |
| N2 | Bronze |
| N3 | Bronze (plus non-pensionable top-up to £40,000) |
Current NCEA: silver
| NCIA | Pensionable pay protection level |
|---|---|
| N1 | Silver |
| N2 | Silver |
| N3 | Silver |
Current NCEA: gold
| NCIA | Pensionable pay protection level |
|---|---|
| N1 | Silver |
| N2 | Gold |
| N3 | Gold |
Current NCEA: platinum
| NCIA | Pensionable pay protection level |
|---|---|
| N1 | Silver |
| N2 | Gold |
| N3 | Platinum |
Successful academic GP and you currently hold an NCEA
The following information only applies to academic GPs.
If your application was successful and you currently hold an NCEA, your existing award will end on 31 March 2024 and your NCIA will start on 1 April 2024.
Your NCIA will be:
- non-pensionable and non-consolidated
- valid for up to 5 years from 1 April 2024, subject to your continued eligibility
Further information on eligibility and what to do if your circumstances change can be found in the 2024 applicants’ guide.
ACCIA will notify your employer of the outcome of your application. However, you may wish to inform your employer of the outcome either informally, or after you have received written confirmation in your letter.
Unsuccessful and you do not currently hold an NCEA
If your application was unsuccessful, we appreciate this news may be disappointing and would like to reassure you that the process in 2023 was extremely competitive. We hope this will not dissuade you from applying in the future.
The 2024 awards round opens in March. For more information, see the 2024 applicants’ guide.
Unsuccessful and you currently hold an NCEA
If your application was unsuccessful and you currently hold an NCEA, your current award will continue to be paid until its original expiry date, subject to continued eligibility. Further information on eligibility and what to do if your circumstances change can be found in the 2024 applicants’ guide.
If your award is due to expire in 2024, any future application you make will be under the new scheme rules and transition arrangements will not apply.
As an existing award holder, if you’re not an academic GP, you’ll be eligible for reversion to a legacy, pensionable local Clinical Excellence Award, in line with the arrangements set out in schedule 30 of the consultant contract - providing that your award is due to expire in 2024. If this applies to you, it will be outlined in your outcome letter.
Schedule 30 does not apply to academic GPs.
ACCIA will inform your employer of the outcome of your application where required, to ensure necessary changes can be made.
We appreciate this news may be disappointing and would like to reassure you that the process in 2023 was extremely competitive. We hope this will not dissuade you from applying in the future.
Appeals process
Appeals must be submitted within 28 days of when we inform you of the award results.
The closing date for appeals is 11.59pm on 12 February 2024.
All appeals for NCIAs are handled by ACCIA. To submit an appeal request, you must log in to the ACCIA portal and follow the instructions on the ‘Appeals’ tab of the page showing the result of your application.
You need to tell us why you believe the assessment process was unfair and give evidence.
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 our judgement.
You can appeal if:
- the committee did not consider all the supporting information or documents you sent with your application
- irrelevant information was taken into account
- 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
Our chair and medical director will look at your evidence 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 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.
Appeals process: step by step
We try to resolve appeals in line with the timescales set out below - if there are delays, we will let you know.
- When we get your request to appeal, we will contact you within 5 working days to acknowledge its receipt.
- Our 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.