Eligibility for a national Clinical Impact Award
You must meet all the eligibility criteria to apply for a national Clinical Impact Award (NCIA) and receive your award for the full duration.
Applies to England and Wales
You can apply for an NCIA if you’re a medical or dental practitioner working as:
- a consultant doctor or dentist
- an academic GP
- a clinical academic
You must be fully registered with the General Medical Council or General Dental Council with a licence to practise.
You must continue to meet the eligibility criteria to receive your award for its full duration (usually 5 years).
Your employment contract
If you’re an NHS consultant, it does not make a difference to your eligibility if you’ve agreed to national terms and conditions of service, or other terms with an individual trust.
Locum contracts are not usually eligible, but you may be eligible if you’ve been been employed as a locum consultant in the same organisation for more than one year. Contact the Advisory Committee on Clinical Impact Awards (ACCIA) if this applies to you.
Eligible employers
You must hold an honorary or substantive consultant or academic GP contract with one of these organisations:
- an NHS organisation in England or Wales
- the Department of Health and Social Care or its arm’s length bodies
- the Welsh Government or similarly associated Welsh Government organisations
- a local authority
Employees of other organisations may be eligible, including those on permanent consultant contracts providing contracted-out NHS services, such as charities and community interest companies.
Clinical responsibilities
Your contract must include specific clinical or clinical leadership responsibilities for the relevant organisation, including at least 3 programmed activities or equivalent sessions that are clinically relevant to support the NHS.
These 3 programmed activities can comprise a portfolio of clinical, teaching and research activities but should normally include at least one programmed activity in direct clinical care.
Length of time in post
If you’re applying for a new award, you must have been in this post for at least one year on 1 April in the year you apply.
When to contact ACCIA
If you’re not sure about your eligibility, email:
- accia@dhsc.gov.uk if you work in England
- accia@wales.nhs.uk if you work in Wales
There is a form for award holders to report a change in employment circumstances.