The application window for the National Clinical Impact Awards (NCIAs) opened on 1 April 2026. The closing date for entries is 5pm on 20 May 2026.
The Advisory Committee on Clinical Impact Awards (ACCIA) advises health ministers on the presentation of clinical impact awards to consultants working in the NHS.
The College are encouraging applications from Fellows and Members of RCSEd in Good Standing in England and Wales. The awards are open to NHS consultant doctors, dentists, on an NHS consultant or academic contract and who are registered on the GMC or GDC specialist list.
Professor Nirmal Kumar, RCSEd NCIA Chair, wishes to encourage RCSEd applicants, particularly young consultants and senior trainees in England and Wales, to the new and reformed awards scheme and particularly encourages applications from individuals from protected characteristic groups with less emphasis on full-time work, who we find are currently underrepresented in the scheme.
The awards are not stratified so applicants can apply and gain a higher award without first securing a lower award. The awards aim to recognise and reward innovation in delivery of clinical care which has wider impacts nationally and in improving patient care. The changes introduced since 2022 have increased the number of awards annually and incentivise participation in teaching, training, and research. The awards are non-pensionable and are normally for a 5-year duration.
Applications cover the following domains:
- Service delivery and development
- Leadership
- Education, training, and people development
- Innovation and research
- Additional national impact
There is no longer a requirement to gain citations from National Nominating Organisations (NNO) such as RCSEd or specialist societies.
NCIA Information for Applicants
Whether you are a first-time applicant for a national award, or are re-applying having received one in the past, there are some key things to remember to help you best present your evidence and communicate the impact of your work to the ACCIA regional sub-committee members who will be scoring your form.
NCIA Applicant Summary Information
Download the NCIA applicant summary information below, which provides guidance on things to consider for submitting an award application.
Download hereWebinars
Changes for the 2025 awards round
Feedback from focus groups with applicants, award holders, employers and regional assessors in autumn 2024 highlighted the need to revise some of the processes. Based on this, ACCIA have made changes to the application process and payment policy for the 2025 awards round. These changes apply to applicants employed in both England and Wales.
Please contact ACCIA on accia@dhsc.gov.uk if you have any questions on how these changes may impact you.
Employers will no longer have to write citations for every applicant. Instead, employers will answer a short series of yes or no questions to verify the applicant is meeting their contractual obligations, have been truthful in their application and whether there are any investigations and sanctions in place. We will continue to provide the space for employers to detail any concerns they may have but this information will only be available to the central ACCIA team who will investigate any issues raised. Employers will also now be asked about their organisation’s CQC rating.
Regulators ratings will no longer be requested from the applicant. Based on feedback received in the focus groups, this question will now sit under the employer verification stage. However, applicants are still free to detail how they have contributed towards their organisation’s CQC/HIW rating under the domains section.
From 2025 onwards, all new awards will be granted from 1st April the year following application (i.e. awards in the 2025 round will start 1st April 2026). This differs from the prior process of backdating award payments for the first year.
New applicants successful in the 2024 round will still receive backdated payments as the new rule will only apply to the 2025 awards round and subsequent years.