National Clinical Impact Awards - NCIA (Formerly Clinical Excellence Awards)

Clinical Impact Awards recognise and reward NHS consultants and academic GPs who perform over and above the standard expected of their role.

Awards are given for quality and excellence, acknowledging exceptional personal contributions. 

To be considered for an award, consultants will have to demonstrate achievement in developing and delivering high-quality patient care, and commitment to the continuous improvement of the NHS.

The awards are co-ordinated and awarded by the Advisory Committee on Clinical Impact Awards (ACCIA), sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Clinical Impact Awards 2023

The 2023 National Clinical Impact Awards are scheduled to open on 3 March 2023 and to close on 28 April 2023.

The full provisional timetable for 2023 is as follows: 

  • 3 March to 28 April 2023 – applications open
  • 29 April to 26 June 2023 – first round scoring
  • 27 June to 4 September – N3 scoring
  • 27 June to 6 November – governance review
  • 5 September to 6 November – NRES scoring
  • end November 2023 – main committee finalisation of recommendations
  • December 2023 – recommendations to and sign off by ministers
  • mid-January 2024 – notifications sent to successful applicants and finance processes initiated to back pay awards
  • mid-January to mid-February 2024 – appeals window open

Help and guidance

Applicants' guide

From March 2023, National Clinical Impact Awards (NCIA) scheme applications will no longer include rankings and citations from national nominating organisations.

Membership organisations such as the RCR can offer  general pointers and advice, but are not permitted to edit or critique applications.

The Advisory Committee on Clinical Impact Awards (ACCIA) will use standard academic software to assess applications to detect plagiarism or repetition.

Contact us

Please contact the RCR National Clinical Impact Awards team at ncia@rcr.ac.uk.