In 2022 the Advisory Committee on Clinical Impact Awards (ACCIA) has made some important changes to the National Clinical Impact Awards (NCIA) award scheme ahead of its 2023 round. Applicants are no longer expected to obtain a ranking and citation from a National Nominating Body (NNB) as part of their submission.
Additionally, NCIA no longer has a system whereby NNOs (National Nominating Organisations) nominate and provide ‘recommendations’, ranking and citations. No one will have any sort of citation (apart from employer sign off) and all the forms will have the same structure. ACCIA want organisations to encourage members to apply and point them in the direction of generic guidance (see below). Further help can be obtained by watching the informational webinars, one for applicants and the other for employers here.
ACCIA policy is to broaden access to the scheme and for applicants to be able to attain higher award levels more quickly, encouraging more applications from traditionally under-represented groups and specialties. As such ACCIA have expanded on the current NNO lists to work with a greater number of relevant external membership organisations.
For 2024, the BSACI will be able to provide guidance and assistance to an unlimited number of members to augment the quality of their applications. We hope this will help applicants avoid common pitfalls that negatively affect scores. Please note that we will not be able to edit, proofread or specifically advise on the text of an application.
This is the expected timetable for the 2024 national awards round. The Advisory Committee on Clinical Impact Awards will review this timetable regularly and minor changes may be made.
• 4 March to 5pm on 15 April 2024 – applications open
• 16 April to 9 June 2024 – first round scoring
• 19 June to 11 August 2024 – National 3 (N3) scoring
• 17 June to 4 November 2024 – governance review
• 4 October to 27 October 2024 – National Reserve Sub-committee (NRES) scoring
• mid to end of November 2024 – main committee finalisation of recommendations
• December 2024 – recommendations to and sign-off by ministers
• January 2025 – notifications sent to successful applicants and finance processes initiated to back pay awards
• January to February 2025 – appeals window open
In 2023 ACCIA published information on the role that Member Organisations play in the NCIA process, which can be found here.
Here is a quick guide which gives an overview of the 2024 awards. The ACCIA Secretariat has provided us with a list of helpful links:
• Webinar for applicants and employers
• ACCIA Gov.uk home page – Advisory Committee on Clinical Impact Awards
• 2024 Timetable – Clinical Impact Awards 2024: application timetable
• Applicants’ guide – Clinical Impact Awards 2024: applicants’ guide
Below are some of the resources that the BSACI has been sent by ACCIA which we wish to share with members to help with their applications. However, please contact [email protected] if you require further advice.
