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Clinical Excellence Awards

The College of Emergency Medicine is the national nominating body to the Advisory Committee on Clinical Excellence Awards (ACCEA) for Emergency Medicine in England. We have the same role, albeit with different procedures, for Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Defence Medical Services.

Clinical Excellence Awards 2013

Update: 9th May 2013

There has been much uncertainty and delay – and as you are aware, the results of 2012 have only just been published.

ACCEA have advised that they are in the early stages of planning for a possible 2013 round of awards. These plans are based on a number of assumptions which are that:

· ACCEA believes that there will be a round for renewal applications in 2013 and this will be the first time that these can be supported by citations

· For planning purposes ACCEA is working on the assumption that there will also be a 2013 round for new awards

· A round in 2013 would operate according to 2012 business rules. The assumption is based on the fact that the report of the Review Body on Doctor’s and Dentist’s Remuneration (DDRB) was only released before Christmas and consequently it seems very unlikely that a new scheme could be in place in time for a 2013 round

· The earliest a 2013 round could possibly open is later this month (May 2013) with a closing date for applications at the end of June 2013.

As the College is a national nominating body, our process would need to have been completed before the closing date for applications.

If you wish to have a citation from the College in support of your application, we will need to receive your CVQ electronically as soon as possible and certainly by 31^st May 2013. As the timeline is expected to be very short, regrettably, we will not under any circumstances be able to accept a late submission for support.

Please email Gerardine Beckett (Gerardine.beckett@collemergencymed.ac.uk ) with a copy of your CVQ and relevant supplementary forms which can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/advisory-committee-on-clinical-excellence-awards

Current guidance published on the ACCEA websites:

Am I eligible?
Normally you need to have at least a local level 4 award (or 4 DPs) to have a chance of securing a national level 9 award.

If you have an award and are applying for a renewal or a higher level you need to be clear in your application about your achievements since the previous award.

Generally, at the national award level, at least four years should have elapsed since the
last award in order to be able to demonstrate significant additional accomplishments.

How can I increase my chances of being successful?

At the Council meeting of the College of Emergency Medicine in April 2011 Professor Jonathan Montgomery and Dr David Lindsell from ACCEA attended to discuss the issue of the recent poor success rate by EM applicants. ACCEA acknowledged the concerns of CEM. Professor Jonathan Montgomery and Dr David Lindsell gave the following advice:-

1) The scheme should be seen as a career incentive

2) The current version of the scheme is unlikely to survive in its present form although a national award of some form is likely to continue

3) A review of last year’s CEM sponsored EM applicants had not identified any specific or generic issues that might indicate a prejudicial approach by ACCEA to these applicants.

The College has provided some advice below to inform Fellows of and support initiatives that address each of the key stages of a successful application. This is of particular relevance to England but the principles apply across the UK.

1. Local support - It is essential that for an application to succeed the applicant must obtain a very high level of local support.

a) Without a resounding endorsement of the employing Trust’s Chief Executive it is unlikely that the application will progress successfully.

b) This is not simply a matter of the number of local points held, though it is generally considered that fewer than 5 would seem to indicate insufficient local support.

2. ACCEA Regional Sub-committees - These scrutinise all applications on a geographical basis; their members are appointed by the SHA. To progress further, applications need to be ranked highly by the regional sub-committee.

a) It is important therefore that where possible applicants should be able to demonstrate endeavours relevant to or widely understood by non-EM regional Board members.

b) The CEM is concerned that too few EM consultants sit on these panels and would urge Fellows of the College to make application for such a position whenever such an opportunity arises.

3. ACCEA National Committee - The national committee issues detailed advice on how to complete the ACCEA forms. The forms are similar to those used for local awards (Level 1-9) but allow the applicant to add extra information relevant to one or more domains.

a) The national committee is minded to review applications that cite outcomes and qualitative indicators more highly than applications focusing on “activity” alone.

b) The advice that outcomes and quality are particularly important is timely with the introduction of the DH Quality Indicators. These measures are agreed indicators of quality and all Trusts are required to collate data sufficient to inform commissioners and the DH of progress. This is therefore an opportunity to be able to demonstrate important improvement in quality indicators.

c) If you have an award and are applying for a renewal or a higher level you need to be clear in your application about your achievements since the previous award. Generally, at the national award level, at least four years should have elapsed since the last award in order to be able to demonstrate significant additional accomplishments.

4. College Sponsorship –

a) Any eligible EM Consultant can self-nominate to the College. The College, as a national nominating body, must submit a citation for any member that makes such a request. The College procedures for considering nominations follow ACCEA guidelines and we have established a group for this purpose. We also receive comments from chairs of regional/national boards.

b) The College is not normally involved in employer-based awards or renewals of national clinical excellence awards.

c) Each applicant must download the CVQ form and submit the completed form to the College by 31st May 2013 in order that the College group can assess and prioritise the applications, write citations and submit to ACCEA by the above deadline.

Further advice

This advice does not address the issue of local awards; advice on these should be sought from the Medical Director of your Trust. It should be noted that currently a level 9 local award is to all intents and purposes from the perspective of the recipient, identical to a National Bronze Award. It is entirely possible that many consultants will therefore be able to achieve the equivalent of a National Award without making an application via the National ACCEA system.

Regional sub-committees are more likely to consider those elements of an application that demonstrate worthwhile outcomes external to an individual Trust. EM Consultants are well placed to succeed in demonstrating regional activities including (but not limited to):

Deanery roles e.g. DME, H of S , TPD, Foundation Year Lead
Clinical care delivery systems e.g. initiation, participation in, development of regional trauma systems, acute stroke care, PCI systems, re-configuration of urgent/ emergency/ OOH care
Regional and inter-disciplinary training e.g. ultrasound, simulation, advanced airway, procedural sedation

National awards do not require applicants to be undertaking a “national-role”. They are awarded after applications have been ranked and it is important to appreciate that there is no specialty applicable quota. Essentially applicants whilst assessed on their merits are subject to a competitive process by virtue of the ranking process. No specific role entitles the applicant to a national award. The individual will be judged on the demonstrable outcomes arising from these roles.

The list of all award holders is published on-line and is accessible to anyone via the ACCEA web-site.

Completion of the relevant forms

Start completing your CVQ sooner than later
Submit using only the 2012 CVQ forms
Explain unfamiliar acronyms or abbreviations
Clarify your contribution to the achievement described (especially important in a team-based specialty)
Put time frames (dates) for achievements
Wherever possible describe outcomes/results from the initiative (scoring is weighted to achievement, not just activity)
Get someone else to read/spell check your CVQ
Use Form D (research) or Form E (teaching and training) especially if you are applying for a level 11 or 12 award.