Local clinical excellence award guidance from 1 April 2024
Key points
The contractual entitlement to access an annual award round ceased on 1 April 2024.
LCEAs awarded prior to reform in 2018 were retained, and the awards remained pensionable and consolidated.
The review process for pre-2018 LCEAs was removed.
Government deal
The contractual entitlement to access an annual award round ceased when Local Clinical Excellence Awards (LCEA) funding was redeployed into remuneration. This took effect on 1 April 2024.
Multi-year non-consolidated awards issued since April 2018, were not impacted. Consolidated LCEAs awarded before the 2018 reform were retained, remaining pensionable and consolidated. The value of these awards was frozen, and the review process for them was removed.
History of LCEAs
Timeline of the LCEAs.
Interactions between local and national awards
The National Clinical Impact Awards (NCIA) are awarded by the Advisory Committee on Clinical Impact Awards (ACCIA). The awards recognise the national impact of work undertaken over and above contractual or other paid activities in the NHS. Further details can be found on the Advisory Committee on Clinical Impact Awards web page.
They specifically recognise the dissemination and implementation of that work and its impact on the wider NHS and public health. You do not need to hold any local award to be eligible to apply for a national award.
There are three levels of national awards in England:
- national level 1 (N1)
- national level 2 (N2)
- national level 3 (N3)
N3 is the highest award.
The following flowchart demonstrates the interactions and protections for National Clinical Excellence Awards (NCEA) holders who apply for a National Clinical Impact Award (NCIA).
Changes in circumstances for pre-2018 award holders
Decision making process
Many changes in circumstances would have previously been reviewed, and the outcome would have been decided by an employer-based awards committee (EBAC). Since award rounds no longer occur, EBACs may have disbanded. Employers should form a local panel to conduct these reviews where an EBAC isn’t in place. The EBAC appointment guidance below can be used to help create a panel.
Change in specialty, job or significant change in job plan
Under the rules which apply to pre-2018 LCEAs, where an individual in receipt of a pre-2018 LCEA moves to another employer to which schedule 30 applies and continues to work within the speciality for which the award was made, the award will continue to be paid by the new employer, subject to the provisions on change of circumstances as set out in the amended 2012 ACCEA guidance on employer-based awards.
If the award holder ceases to work for any employer to which the schedule applies, they will no longer receive any award value from the date that they leave their employer.
Part-time working
If a consultant is working part-time, the award will be paid pro-rata. As above,the EBACs or local panel measure achievement within the parameters of an individual’s employment. Additional consideration should therefore be given to the activity that can be proportionately achieved within a part-time consultant’s contract.
Working in general management
If a consultant stops practising in the area for which the award was granted, and moves into a full or part-time general management post, they will need to speak to the employer about whether they can continue to receive the full monetary value of the award.
If a consultant returns to clinical work after a period in full-time general management, their award may be reinstated after a review.
Unpaid leave
Awards are not paid during any period of unpaid leave. If a consultant takes leave for longer than a year, the question of reinstating the award will be subject to review by the relevant EBAC or local panel.
Secondments
If a consultant is on full-time secondment to a post with an employer on different terms to the 2003 contract, the award will be suspended.
A consultant should speak to their employer before beginning the secondment to make arrangements for protecting the award and continuing to collect it after the secondment has finished.
If the secondment is longer than a year, the question of whether to reinstate the award will be subject to review by the relevant EBAC or local panel.
If a consultant is on secondment to the independent sector treatment programme or equivalent while retaining their NHS employment rights, they are still eligible to receive their award.
Prolonged absence from the NHS:
Where consultants have not practised their specialty in the NHS for more than a year, the relevant EBAC will review whether the award should be reinstated. The duration of any review period will exclude time taken for maternity/paternity/adoption leave or an extended period of absence, such as ill health absence.
Changes in pension contribution
Consultants should liaise with their employer if they intend to make any changes to their pension contribution.
Becoming the subject of an investigation
A consultant must inform their employer, as soon as they are aware, if they become the subject of any investigations or disciplinary procedures. This includes any investigations by external bodies such as the GMC, GDC, National Clinical Assessment Service, etcetera.
Consultants should keep the trust employer informed of any developments and the outcome of investigations when known.
Failure to declare any issues will call into question the validity of an award and could lead, ultimately, to the withdrawal of the award.
Retirement
With effect from 1 April 2023, a consultant with a pre-2018 LCEA who retires, or partially retires, and returns to the same employer will retain their pre-2018 LCEA.
Guidance on partial retirement can be found on our web page: Using flexible retirement to support retention
Prior to 1 April 2023 pre-2018 awards ceased on retirement and were consolidated into pensionable pay. If a consultant was reemployed, they did not continue to receive the previous award payment.
